Back to homepage
Questions? AskAuckland
  

Please select root levels for the menu

NZ Plants

Lycopodium volubile - waewaekoukou, creeping clubmoss

Clubmoss family: Lycopodiaceae

  • Scrambling, branching stem

    I MacDonald

    View picture

  • Lateral branches with leaves

    I MacDonald

    View picture

  • Stem upper surface, scale-like leaves

    L Jensen

    View picture

  • Stem lower surface with scale-like leaves

    L Jensen

    View picture

  • Fertile branches bearing cones are formed at intervals along the climbing stem

    L Jensen

    View picture

  • Fertile branches are sparsley leaved, fork several times and bear terminal pendulous cones

    L Jensen

    View picture

  • Pendulous cone, fertile leaves (sporophylls)

    L Jensen

    View picture

Lycopodium volubile has a scrambling to climbing and wiry, many branched stem. Leaves are of two sizes and shapes. There are two lateral rows of larger, spreading, flat and sickle-shaped leaves and a dorsal and a ventral rows of smaller needle-like appressed close to the stem. The terminal cones are formed in pendulous clusters.
Found throughout New Zealand in coastal to montane areas.

 

Vegetative characteristics

Fertile stem and sporangia

Plant form: terrestrial plants up to 40 cm;

Stem appearance: differentiated into terminal erect cones up to 7 cm, solitary or in groups

Leaf arrangement: singly in a spiral along the stem; spreading or appressed to the stem

Sporangium location: on upper surface of cone sporophyll

Leaf shape: lateral leaves are flat, sickle-shaped; dorsal and ventral leaves are needle-like

Sporangium position: at base of cone sporophyll

Leaf size: lateral leaves up to 50 mm; dorsal and ventral leaves up to 20 mm

Sporangia distribution: one per cone sporophyll

Leaf surface: smooth, leathery

Sporangium covering: 0

Share Print Email