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Huperzia phlegmaria
(L.) Rothm.
Coarse Tassel Fern
Lycopodiaceae
Huperzia phlegmaria is a species of lycopod in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Old World.
Description
Huperzia phlegmaria is a medium-sized epiphyte. Stems are cespitose (clumping), and are hanging, dichotomously branched about 4 to 6 times, 20 to 40 cm long and 3 mm in diameter, flat in cross section. The leaves are differentiated into tropophylls (sterile leaves) and sporophylls, which enclose the sporangia, reproductive structures. Tropophylls are dull in luster, 5 to 10 mm long and 3 to 5 mm wide on a short stipe (petiole). Their shape is ovate-triangular, lacking teeth, with a somewhat heart-shaped (cordate) base and a tapering (acuminate) tip. Reproductive structures are called strobili, and they comprise sporophylls and sporangia. They are borne on the tips of branches, and are 9 to 14 cm long. The sporophylls are spirally arranged around the stem and are ovate, about 1.2 mm long, without teeth and an acutely pointed tip. The sporangia are yellow, found underneath the sporophylls, and kidney-shaped (Wu et al. 2013).
Uses
Note: Please see the disclaimer regarding any information about medical or edible uses.
Huperzia phlegmaria is sometimes grown as a basket plant, preferring shadier sites and high humidity (NParks). It is also used medicinally; for example, in India, a boiled solution of the plant is used to treat renal colic (Quattrocchi 2012).
Distribution
Huperzia phlegmaria hangs on rocks or tree trunks in forests, at an altitude of 100 to 2400 m. It is widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical Old World (and some sources also list South America) (Wu et al. 2013), ranging from tropical Africa to India, north to Japan, south to Australia, and east to the Pacific Islands (Wu et al. 2013).
Status
References
NParks (National Parks Board). Phlegmariurus phlegmaria. Flora Fauna Web. [accessed 2022 Jul 11]. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/3/7/3746
Quattrocchi, U. 2012. CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H., and Hong, D. Y., eds. 2013. Flora of China. Vol. 2-3 (Lycopodiaceae through Polypodiaceae). Beijing: Science Press, and St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Quattrocchi, U. 2012. CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H., and Hong, D. Y., eds. 2013. Flora of China. Vol. 2-3 (Lycopodiaceae through Polypodiaceae). Beijing: Science Press, and St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Description
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