English: Pygmy clubmoss.
Synonyms: Huperzia drummondii; Lycopodium sanguisorba.
Genus: 1 species.
Region: Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New Zealand, North Island.
BotanyIdentification: uniqueperenniating tuber, a reduced stem system, developed to be considered a new organ.
Fern; clubmoss; small; resembling a tiny grass; first non-photosynthetic, nutrients from mycorrhiza, later photosynthetic.
Root: underground bulb-like.
Stem: single; central; up to 5 cm tall; bearing a spore-producing cone at the apex.
Leaves: rosette of slender; 2 to 5 cm long.
TaxonomyPreviously classified variously in the family
Lycopodiaceae or Phylloglossaceae. Recent genetic evidence shows it is closely related to the genus Huperzia.
Morphological characters like sporangial epidermis morphology, phytochemistry, and chromosome number indicate that Phylloglossum and Huperzia are closely related.