Diphasiastrum digitatum (Dillenius ex A. Braun)
Southern running-pine

Sam's Farm Species

Family: Lycopodiaceae
Genus: Diphasiastrum

Identification

"Horizontal stems on substrate surface, 1.3 - 2.3 mm wide; leaves appressed to ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1.8-4.5 * 0.6-1.2 mm wide; leaves narrowly lanceolate, 1.8-4.5 * 0.6-1.2 mm, apex acute, scarious, often lost. Upright shoots 15-50 cm, branching regularly successively to three times; leaves appressed with decurrent base, subulate, 1.8-4.5 * 0.6-1.8 mm, apex acute. Branchlets flat in cross section, 2.8-3.9 mm wide, annual bud constrictions very rare; underside dull, pale, flat; upperside green, flat, shinny. Leaves of branchlets 4-ranked; uperside leaves appressed, linear-lanceolate, free portion of blade 0.7-1.5 * 0.5-0.9 mm; lateral leaves appressed to spreading (spreading especially in juvenile stages), 3.1-5.5 * 1-2 mm; underside leaves very weakly developed, spreading, narrowly delate, apex pointed; leaves usually somewhat whorled, linear lanceolate to nearly filiform, 2-3.3 * 0.5-0.9 mm, apex blunt to acute. Stalks mostly pseudowhorled, 2-forked, forkes are basal. Strobili 2-4 per upright shoot, exclusive of elongate sterile tip. Sporophylls deltate 1.7 - 2.6 * 1.8- 2.8 mm, apex abruptly tapering. 2n=46." (Holub, Preslia)

Geography

" Coniferous and hardwood forests and second growth, shrubby or open fields; 0-1500 m; St. Pierre and Miquelon; N.B., Nfld., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que., Ala., Ark., Conn., Del., D.C., Ill., Iowa, Ky., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va., Wis.
  An endemic in eastern North America, Diphasiastrum digitatum is th most abundant species of Diphasiatrum on the continent, much used for decoration of wreaths. It was long confused with the circumboreal D. Complanatum." (Flora of North America)
 

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Diphasiastrum digitatum
Photo taken by Adam Conard
 
 
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