Selaginella bifida

Selaginella bifida
Conservation status
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Lycophytes
Class:	Lycopodiopsida
Order:	Selaginellales
Family:	Selaginellaceae
Genus:	Selaginella
Species:	S. bifida
Binomial name
Selaginella bifida Delmail

Selaginella bifida is a lycophyte native to Rodrigues Island in the Mascarene Islands. It was found firstly in 1991 on the Mont Limon at 20–150 m high and was confused with S. rodrigueziana Baker because of their strong phenotypical homologies. However, fastidious studies in 2009 highlight ciliate lateral leaf margins on several specimens and bifid microsporophyll apices during the emergence of reproductive parts, which differentiate a new taxon.

References

• Delmail D. (2009) - Selaginella bifida sp. nov. (Selaginellaceae: Pteridophyta) from Rodrigues Island, Mauritius. Nordic Journal of Botany, 27: 178–181. [1]
• IPNI [2]