Phlegmariurus capillaris ­­­ (Sodiro) B. Øllgaard (2012a:480)

Øllgaard, Benjamin & Testo, Weston, 2021, The Lycopodiaceae of Panamá, Phytotaxa 526 (1), pp. 1-66 : 11-12

. ­­­ Phlegmariurus capillaris ­­­ (Sodiro) B. Øllgaard (2012a:480) . Fig. 7B

Lycopodium capillare Sodiro (1883: 90) .—. Lycopodium sarmentosum Spring var. capillare (Sodiro) Sodiro (1893: 573) .— Urostachys capillaris (Sodiro) Herter (1949a: 54) .— Huperzia capillaris (Sodiro) Holub (1985: 71) . Type:— ECUADOR: Prov. Pichincha?, Hda Guanaxilla, 480 m elev., Sodiro s. n., (K holotype). The type locality is probably in the area NE of Santo Domingo de los Colorados.

Lycopodium sarmentosum Spring var. rubescens Spring (1849: 13) .— Urostachys rubescens (Spring) Herter (1949a: 79) . Type:— COLOMBIA: prov. Popayán, Hartweg 1464 (K with Spring’s annotation: lectotype, B, P isotypes, NY frag.).

Lycopodium underwoodianum Maxon (1909: 41) .— Urostachys underwoodianus (Maxon) Herter (1949a: 87) .— Huperzia underwoodiana (Maxon) Holub (1985: 77) . Type:— COSTA RICA: Vicinity of Coliblanco, about 1950 m elev., Maxon 213 ( US holotype, BM, C, GH, NY, P, isotypes).

Lycopodium guatemalense Maxon (1913:177) .— Urostachys guatemalensis (Maxon) Herter (1923: 165) . Type:— GUATEMALA: Pansamalá, Jul. 1856, Tuerckheim, ed. Donn.-Sm. 957 ( US holotype, UC isotype).

Very delicate, pendulous, with flaccidly hanging divisions, 9–50 cm long. Shoots homophyllous, rarely gradually heterophyllous, 7–15 mm in diameter including leaves in basal divisions. Stems excluding leaves 0.3–0.5 (–0.8) mm thick near the base, slightly tapering upward, straight or somewhat flexuous, usually bright red, discontinuously sporangiate from 6–25 cm above the base and upward, to 6 (–13) times dichotomous. Leaves almost uniform throughout, borne apparently randomly, spirally arranged, occasionally in pairs or whorls of 3, 1–3 (–5) mm apart, spreading, straight to falcately curved, with strongly twisted, often deflexed lamina base, linear-lanceolate, widest in the middle or the basal half, 5–10 (–12) × 0.4–0.7 (–1) mm, almost flat, or slightly convex adaxially, soft-herbaceous, with obscure to somewhat prominent vein above. Lamina base tinged with red. Sporangia 0.7–1 mm wide.

­­­ Distribution:— Central America, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil.

­­­ Habitats:— Epiphytic, in upper montane rain forest, 1000–2200 m elev. ­­­

­­­ Notes:— Earlier assumed to be closely related to Phlegmariurus linifolius , from which it differs in the more delicate growth habit. Rather surprisingly, its molecular data point to a relationship to P. phylicifolius ( Testo et al. 2018b) . Stem coloration is variable, the red colour lacking in some collections.

­­­ Specimens­­­examined:—Chiriquí: Dist. Bugaba, Cerro Punta, 2200 m, van der Werff & Herrera 6325 (AAU, F, UC, US). Near El Boquete, 1000–1500 m, Cornman 929 (UC, US). La Fortuna Dam, 1400 m, Antonio 2815 (MO). Boquete, Bajo Chorro, 1830 m, Davidson 298 (F, GH, MO, US). Fortuna Dam Site, 1400–1600 m, Folsom et al. 5573 (MO). Cerro Horqueta, 8 km NW of Boquete, N slopes, 1800 m, Maas & Dressler 4965 (U, Z). Dist. Bugaba, Cerro Punta, 2200 m, van der Werff & Herrera 6325 (AAU). Above San Ramón, near Bajo Mono and 4 mi NW of Boquete, 1830 m, Wilbur et al. 13542 (F). Coclé: Parque Nacional General de Div. Omar Torrijos Herrera, Araúz 815 (PMA). Darien: Cerro Mali, Colombian border, 1400 m, Gentry & Mori 13775 (MO, PMA, US).