(fir clubmoss)
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Photo of Huperzia haleakalae by Carl Roland
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Huperzia haleakalae is a common alpine clubmoss with strobili borne along the stem in the
axils of its needle-like fertile leaves, not in terminal 'cones' as occurs in the genus
Lycopodium. This species occurs primarily in alpine tundra and openings in shrub tundra areas, particularly in mossy places dominated by heath species and snowbed sites. As is true of all our clubmosses, its stems are covered in scale-like leaves with single, unbranched veins. Stems of one plant reach the same height, and can grow 8-12 cm tall. Leaves are triangular. Unlike other clubmosses,
Huperzia haleakalae does not produce separate
spore-producing structures (
strobilii) above the vegetative stems. Instead, these structures occur in
axils of fertile
spore-producing leaves along the stem. These occur in distinct rows.
Huperzia haleakalae is perennial and evergreen. Each year, stems initially grow a set of photosynthetic leaves and then a row of fertile leaves. You can thus roughly determine a plant's age. Spores are produced in mid-summer.
The visible portion of
Huperzia selago is a diploid
sporophyte. These plants are produced from a haploid
gametophyte, which lives underground and is entirely dependent on
mycorrhizae for its survival. The haploid
gametophyte self-fertilizes and produces an independent, photosynthetic
sporophyte (the plant described and pictured).
sporophytes produce single-celled spores, which are wind-dispersed and develop into new underground
gametophytes. Plants also produce vegetative propagules (gemmae). These are leaf-like, produced between leaves along the stem, they easily break off and spread the plant.
Huperzia haleakalae is an amphi-Beringian species occurring in mountainous areas. In North America, H. haleakalae ranges from the Manitoba in the east to Alaska, and south along the Rocky Mountains to Colorado (and also in Hawaii, as its name implies). Within Alaska, Huperzia haleakalae occurs across mountainous areas of the state, although it is not common north of the Brooks Range. It is widespread and reasonably common in Denali, occurring on both sides of the Alaska Range with some isolated occurrences in the northwestern lowlands.
Details are shown in the Plots & Charts found at right, depicting recent Denali data.
Huperzia selago is an alpine species, most frequently found above 1100 meters. It has a marked preference for northern aspects, and plants found on those sites occur over a wider range of elevations and slopes. It occurs most commonly on steep slopes (20-28 degrees).
Details are shown in the Plots & Charts found at right. For more on how to interpret these figures, visit Understanding Data Presented.
Huperzia selago grows in the forest understory, rocky slopes, tundra and in ericaceous heaths.
Wide-ranging; well-drained to somewhat wet sites.
