Phlegmariurus pringlei was a common epiphyte in many of the sites that we visited in Oaxaca. Adventitious roots were often observed at the distal parts of its stem, apparently resulting in vegetative propagation whenever the plants touched a suitable substrate. The specific epithet honors Cyrus Guernsey Pringle (1838-1911), north-american botanist who made extensive and valuable collections of ferns and lycophytes in Mexico.
Collection Data (F.B. Matos 2428)
Classification & Common Names
- Class: Lycopodiopsida
- Family: Lycopodiaceae
- Genus: Phlegmariurus (Herter) Holub
- Species: Phlegmariurus pringlei (Underw. & F.E. Lloyd) B. Øllg.
- Var./Subsp.:
- Common name(s):
General Collection Data
- Date: 24-III-2014
- Primary Collector & #: F.B. Matos 2428
- Collection Party: M. Sundue & R. Torres
- Det. History: M. Sundue & F.B. Matos, 2014
- Habitat: Montane forest with Pine
- Habit: Epiphyte
- Specimen Locations: MEXU, NY
Additional Comments
Collection Location
- Location: Carretera Oaxaca-Tuxtepec (MEX-175) – – Distrito Ixtlán Municipio Santiago Comaltepec – Oaxaca – Mexico.
- Coordinates: 17.585556, -96.509444
- Elevation: 2620 m
Hey Fernando – the adventitious roots are really cool! I’ve never seen them on this species before.
Yes, super chido! There is another species in our greenhouse that does that, but this was the first time that I saw this in the field. It seems like a very effective strategy…