Species profile—Selaginella andrewsii
Classification
Plantae (plants) → Equisetopsida (land plants) → Selaginellaceae → Selaginella andrewsii
Sighting data
Species details
- Kingdom
- Plantae (plants)
- Class
- Equisetopsida (land plants)
- Family
- Selaginellaceae
- Scientific name
- Selaginella andrewsii Jermy & J.S.Holmes
- WildNet taxon ID
- 21871
- Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) status
- Least concern
- Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) status
- Vulnerable
- Conservation significant
- Yes
- Confidential
- No
- Wetland status
- Wetland Indicator Species
- Endemicity
- Native
- Pest status
- Nil
- Short Notes
- Pteridophyta, BRI 157241
- Description
- Selaginella andrewsii is a fern. Its stems are slender, wiry, wide-creeping, rooting throughout their length and with ascending scrubby branches 10-20cm tall. The median leaves are broadly lance-shaped and 1.1-1.5mm long, with minutely toothed margins. The lateral leaves are ovate-oblong in shape, 1.4-2mm long, 0.5-0.6mm wide and with a rounded base, broadly so on the side towards the apex. The leaf margins are entire except for long, spiny hairs on the side towards the apex. The leaves on the branches are touching but not united.
The leaves bearing spores are broadly ovate in shape, strongly keeled, with finely toothed margins and narrowing to a point. There are cone-like structures (strobili) about 1cm long and at the ends of branches. These cone-like structures contain spore cases of 2 kinds that produce spores of 2 sizes. The spore cases are megasporophylls and microsporophylls. There are 1-2 megasporophylls at the base of the cone-like structure and these measure 2.6-2.9mm long by 2.75mm wide. There are numerous microsporophylls about 1.75mm long and these comprise most of the cone-like structure. The spores are megaspores and microspores. The megaspores are 350-500µm in diameter, with a bumpy appearance and a reticulum of low ridges. The microspores are 27-40µm in diameter and wrinkled in appearance.
This low, somewhat bushy species has distinctly small leaves and exceptionally large megasporophylls at the base of the cone-like structure. (Jermy 1998) - Distribution
- Selaginella andrewsii is found in south-eastern Queensland, near Tallebudgera Creek and the Logan and Nerang Rivers. (Herbrecs 2008)
- Distributional limits
- -28.2236111, 153.3138888
-28.2236112, 153.3138889 - Range derivation
- Range derived from extent of the taxon's verified records
- Habitat
- Selaginella andrewsii occurs in forest and on steep creek banks. (Jermy 1998)
- Notes
- Contributors: Peter Bostock, Mellisa Mayhew 16/02/2009
- References
- Herbrecs (2008). Selaginella andrewsii, in BriMapper version 2.12. Queensland Herbarium. Accessed 29/10/2008.
Jermy, A.C. & Holmes, J.S. in McCarthy, P.M. (Ed) (1998). Flora of Australia 48: 705. - Profile author
- Peter Bostock (16/02/2009)
Other resources
- Species Profile and Threats Database (SPRAT)
- The Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH)
- Atlas of Living Australia
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=21871.
This information is sourced from the WildNet database managed by the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.
