Huperzioideae is a subfamily of lycopsids in the family

Lycopodiaceae The Lycopodiaceae (class Lycopodiopsida, order Lycopodiales) are an old family of vascular plants, including all of the core clubmosses and firmosses, comprising 17 accepted genera and about 500 known species. This family originated about 380 mi ...

. It has sometimes been recognized as a separate family, Huperziaceae. The

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish on the classification of pteridophytes ( lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relationships discove ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I) recognizes three extant genera: * ''

Huperzia ''Huperzia'' is a genus of lycophyte plants, sometimes known as the firmosses or fir clubmosses; the ''Flora of North America'' calls them gemma fir-mosses. This genus was originally included in the related genus ''Lycopodium'', from which it dif ...

'' (temperate firmosses); about 25 species; terrestrial. * ''

Phlegmariurus ''Phlegmariurus'' is a genus of lycophyte plants in the family Lycopodiaceae. The genus is recognized in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), but not by some other sources, which keep it in a broadly defined ''Huperzia ...

'' (tropical firmosses); about 250 species; previously included in ''Huperzia''; mainly

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

s. * ''

Phylloglossum ''Phylloglossum'', a genus in the clubmoss Family (biology), family Lycopodiaceae, is a small plant superficially resembling a tiny Poaceae, grass plant, growing with a rosette of slender leaf, leaves 2–5 cm long from an underground bulb-l ...

'' (pygmy clubmoss); formerly thought to be only distantly related to ''Huperzia''. This is a terrestrial, grass-like plant with basal, 2–5 cm long, fleshy

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

. The only accepted species is '' Phylloglossum drummondii''. The plants are distinct from those of other members of the Lycopodiaceae in having erect (not creeping) growth; and in their

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

-bearing structures being produced in the axils of unmodified

, rather than in terminal club-like structures. The subfamily also has a basal chromosome count of ''n''=67, versus counts of ''n''=23, 34 in the Lycopodiaceae.

References

External links

Flora of North America: ''Huperzia''

Flora of North America: ''Phlegmariurus''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q30109309, from2=Q2712709 Lycopodiaceae Plant subfamilies