Plants creeping on wet substrates. Roots emerging immediately on underside of stems. Horizontal stems on substrate surface, short-creeping. Upright shoots not branched, forming sparsely leafy peduncles scattered along horizontal stem, nearly naked, 9–11 mm diam. Leaves of horizontal stems not in distinct ranks, not imbricate, dimorphic, margins entire; lateral leaves narrowly linear, nearly subulate, median leaves 1/2–2/3 shorter than lateral leaves, ascending. Gemmiferous branchlets and gemmae absent. Strobili solitary, not conspicuously differentiated from peduncle, tip blunt; peduncle nearly naked with scattered minute leaves, 0.9–3 mm diam.; sporophylls much shorter than peduncle leaves. Sporangia reniform. Spores rugulate, sides at equator convex, angles acute. Gametophytes photosynthetic, on substrate surface, tuber-shaped and lobed; ring meristem absent. x = 35.

Distribution

Widespread.

Discussion

Species 12 (1 in the flora).

Selected References

Bruce, J. G. 1976. Comparative studies of Lycopodium carolinianum. Amer. Fern J. 66: 125--137.

Lower Taxa

Pseudolycopodiella caroliniana