Dispersal through gemmae: a small Huperzia lucidula sprouts from a gemma.
Look at the base of this young shoot, and you can see that it sprouted from a gemma. I saw about five young shoots around this size in the immediate vicinity, on a steep oak-heath slope bare of leaf litter. I checked upslope and there were no colonies of H. lucidula, so it’s not clear where the gemmae dispersed from.
Observation Data
Classification & Common Names
- Class: Lycopodiopsida
- Family: Huperziaceae
- Genus: Huperzia Bernh.
- Species: Huperzia lucidula (Michx.) Trevis.
- Var./Subsp.:
- Common name(s): Shining clubmoss
General Observation Data
- Date: 28-III-2015
- Habitat: Oak Forest
- Habit: Terrestrial
Additional Comments
Found on a steep slope covered by oak and beech forest with relatively little leaf litter. I went over the uphill slope fairly thoroughly looking for a parent colony, but didn't find one, so I'm not entirely sure how the gemma reached this point.
Location
- Location: White Clay Creek Preserve – Landenberg – Chester County – Pennsylvania – United States.
- Coordinates: 39° 45' 30"N 75° 45' 53"W
- Elevation: 50 m
This one’s for you, Wes.