A Rare Selaginella from Northeastern Nevada

Abstract

An interesting and rare Selaginella was collected in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada last summer. Mr. C. V. Morton has studied the plant and verified the identification as Selaginella selaginoides (L.) Link. The plants form a mat with slender, branching, prostrate-creeping sterile branches and slightly thicker, unbranched, erect fertile branches. Leaves in six ranks, lanceolate, acute, spreading, spinulose-ciliate on each side of leaf. Spikes erect with lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate oblique sporophylls having 4-5 spinulose cilia on each side, 3.0-4.0 mm. long. Microsporangia few, confined to tip of the spike; microspores yellow with ca. 25 spines averaging 7p in length, the spores (including spines) 45p in diameter. Megasporangia more numerous; megaspores pale yellow to nearly white, subglobose, 0.5-0.6 mm. in diameter; exine mostly smooth with minute reticulations on apical and basal portions. The nearly smooth megaspores are of considerable interest as typical European material has strongly tuberculate-papillose megaspores, at least on the commissural faces.