Psilotum nudum
Prodr. Aethéogam. 106, 112. 1805.
Aerial shoots to 50 cm, 4 mm diam. at base. Appendages 0.7–2.5 mm (sterile), 1–1.5 mm (fertile). Synangia yellowish to greenish yellow, 2–3 mm wide.
Habitat: Low to mesic woods, thickets, swamps, hammocks, rocky slopes
Elevation: 0–50 m (1100 m in Ariz.)
Distribution
Ala., Ariz., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., S.C., Tex., Mexico, West Indies in the Antilles, Central America, South America, tropical Asia, tropical Africa.
Discussion
Reports of Psilotum nudum in New Mexico and in west Texas remain unverified. A wide range of chromosome numbers on material outside the flora has been reported for this species: n =ca.46–56, 104, 210. Most counts, however, are based on n =52 (reviewed in P.J. Brownsey and J.D. Lovis 1987). No count is available from North American material.
Psilotum nudum occurs as a minor weed in greenhouses. Many horticultural forms—including one without appendages and with terminal synangia (A.S. Rouffa 1971)—are grown, especially in Japan.
Selected References
None.