Species profile—Huperzia dalhousieana (blue tassel fern)
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Lycopodiaceae → Huperzia dalhousieana (blue tassel fern)
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Lycopodiaceae
- Scientific name
- Huperzia dalhousieana (Spring) Trevis.
- Common name
- blue tassel fern
- WildNet taxon ID
- 13823
- Superseded by
- Phlegmariurus dalhousieanus (blue tassel-fern) (03/04/2019)
- Conservation significant
- No
- Confidential
- Yes
- Endemicity
- Exotic
- Pest status
- Nil
- Description
- Huperzia dalhousieana is an hemi-epiphytic fern; growing on another plant but not deriving nourishment from it. It has tufted branches that are erect at first, becoming pendulous and rarely branching, except for the sporogenous zone (the part of the plant bearing spores) which is often once-forked. The branches are 45-120cm long, with the leaves in whorls of 3 crowded around the branch. The leaves are thin, firm, lance-shaped, bluish-green to bluish-grey and 15-25mm long by 4mm wide.
The transition from the sterile leaf zone to the sporogenous zone is gradual. The sporophylls (leaves bearing the spores) are similar in shape and size to the sterile leaves, or as short as 10mm. The spore-case occupies one-eighth to one-twelfth of the sporophylls length. (Chinnock 1998; DEWHA 2008) - Habitat
- Huperzia dalhousieana grows on trees in the upper canopy of swampy forests and on rocks in rainforests. It grows in habitat along freshwater creeks. (Chinnock 1998; Herbrecs 2008)
- Threatening processes
- Collecting and clearing of swamp forests for sugar cane.
- Notes
- Contributors: Weslawa Misiak 10/09/1998; Peter Bostock, Mellisa Mayhew 16/02/2009
- References
- Chinnock, R.J. in McCarthy, P.M. (Ed) (1998). Flora of Australia 48: 81.
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (2008). Huperzia dalhousieana in Species Profile and Threats Database, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Canberra. Accessed 01/10/2008. http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/sprat.pl
Herbrecs (2008). Huperzia dalhousieana, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 01/10/2008. - Profile author
- Peter Bostock (16/02/2009)
Other resources
Data source
This profile data is sourced from the QLD Wildlife Data API using the Get species by ID function used under CC-By 4.0.
https://apps.des.qld.gov.au/species/?op=getspeciesbyid&taxonid=13823.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
