North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Diphasiastrum digitatum

Diphasiastrum digitatum (Dill. ex A. Braun) Holub

common running-cedar, fan ground-pine

Diphasiastrum digitatum (Common Running-cedar)

Image ID: 14157
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: DIDI8
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Diphasiastrum digitatum
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-12-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: DIPHA
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Diphasiastrum
GENUS AUTHORITY:
GENUS COMMON: Flat-branched Clubmoss, Running Cedar
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 15-20 species, mostly north temperate and subarctic. This group is sometimes treated as Lycopodium section Complanata (llgaard in Kramer & Green 1990, llgaard 1987, Wikstrm & Kenrick 2000).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993b); Haines (2003a)=Z; llgaard in Kramer & Green (1990); Wikstrm & Kenrick (2000).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: LYCOPO
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Lycopodiaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Palisot de Beauvois 1802
FAMILY COMMON: Clubmoss Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of 10-15 genera and about 400 species. Lycopodiaceae, along with Selaginellaceae and Isoetaceae, have now been shown to be only distantly related to other extant pteridophytes and seed plants (Pryer et al. 2001). The division of North American Lycopodium into three or more genera has been strongly advocated by Wagner & Beitel (1992), Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993), Haines (2003a), and nearly all other recent authors. The traditionally broad Lycopodium appears to include a number of natural groups which are strikingly different from one another and have constituted separate lineages for tens to hundreds of millions of years. These natural groups are separable by numerous morphological, developmental, and anatomical characters, karyotype, and inability to hybridize. Wagner & Beitel (1992) divide Lycopodium (sensu latissimo) of our area into six genera in three subfamilies, as follows: Huperzia in Subfamily Huperzioideae, Lycopodium and Diphasiastrum in Subfamily Lycopodioideae, and Lycopodiella, Palhinhaea, and Pseudolycopodiella in Subfamily Lycopodielloideae. Haines (2003a) further divides Lycopodium (sensu lato) into three genera: Dendrolycopodium, Spinulum, and Lycopodium (sensu stricto). The reasoning behind this division is very strong, and it is here followed. Profound differences in anatomy, morphology, reproduction, gametophyte morphology, and karyotype support this separation, in addition to the very great age of these lineages. The chromosome numbers of our genera: Dendrolycopodium (x=34), Diphasiastrum (x=23), Huperzia (x=67, 68), Lycopodiella (x=78), Lycopodium (x=34), Palhinhaea (x=55), Pseudolycopodiella (x=35), and Spinulum (x=34). Øllgaard in Kramer & Green (1990) and Wikström & Kenrick (2000) follow a somewhat broader coarse, recognizing three genera for our species (corresponding to the subfamilies of Wagner & Beitel 1992), and recognizing as sections the genera of Wagner & Beitel (1992). Øllgaard states that the “genera are very distinct, and also the sections within Lycopodiella and Lycopodium seem to represent ancient, independent evolutionary lines”; later, Øllgaard has elevated the sections to generic rank (Øllgaard & Windisch 2014). Wikström & Kenrick (2000, 2001) suggest that the phylogenetic separation of Lycopodium (including Diphasiastrum) and Lycopodiella (including Pseudolycopodiella and Palhinhaea) occurred at least as long ago as the early Jurassic (208 million years before present), and the divergence of Huperzia from Lycopodium and Lycopodiella still longer ago. Based on this deep division between Huperzia and the other genera, some authors additionally advocate the recognition of Huperzia in a separate family, Huperziaceae, an opinion followed here.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Lellinger (1985); Mickel (1979); Wagner and Beitel (1992); Beitel (1979); Snyder & Bruce (1986); Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993b); Øllgaard in Kramer & Green (1990); Wikström & Kenrick (2000, 2001); Øllgaard (1987); Haines (2003a). Key based in part on Haines (2003a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION:
HABIT:

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Jul-Sep

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
						x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
998	1985-0694			View
4177	1992-0333			View
6072	1995-1203			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1878	998	81	NCBG staff	1985-02-19	View
1879	998	94	NCBG staff	1985-02-19	View
6505	4177	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
8722	6072	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: DIDI8
USDA Common Name:
Native Status:
Distribution:
Duration:
Growth Habit:

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Diphasiastrum digitatum
COMMON NAME: Common Running-cedar, Fan Ground-pine
SYNONYMY: [= Ar, FNA, Il, Pa, Tn, Va, Z; = Lycopodium flabelliforme (Fernald) Blanch - Md, RAB, S, WV; = Lycopodium digitatum Dillenius ex A. Braun - C, K, W; = Lycopodium complanatum Linnaeus var. flabelliforme Fernald - F, G]
PHENOLOGY: Jul-Sep.
HABITAT: Dry to mesic, usually acid forests and openings, especially common in disturbed sites, such as successional pine forests.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) west to MN, south to SC, GA, AL, MS, and AR. Hickey & Beitel (1979) and Holub (1975a, 1975b) explain the nomenclatural decision to accept the epithet ‘digitatum’ over the recently more familiar ‘flabelliforme’.
RANGE MAP: Diphasiastrum digitatum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Lycopodiaceae Palisot de Beauvois 1802 (Clubmoss Family)
SUMMARY: A family of 10-15 genera and about 400 species. Lycopodiaceae, along with Selaginellaceae and Isoetaceae, have now been shown to be only distantly related to other extant pteridophytes and seed plants (Pryer et al. 2001). The division of North American Lycopodium into three or more genera has been strongly advocated by Wagner & Beitel (1992), Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993), Haines (2003a), and nearly all other recent authors. The traditionally broad Lycopodium appears to include a number of natural groups which are strikingly different from one another and have constituted separate lineages for tens to hundreds of millions of years. These natural groups are separable by numerous morphological, developmental, and anatomical characters, karyotype, and inability to hybridize. Wagner & Beitel (1992) divide Lycopodium (sensu latissimo) of our area into six genera in three subfamilies, as follows: Huperzia in Subfamily Huperzioideae, Lycopodium and Diphasiastrum in Subfamily Lycopodioideae, and Lycopodiella, Palhinhaea, and Pseudolycopodiella in Subfamily Lycopodielloideae. Haines (2003a) further divides Lycopodium (sensu lato) into three genera: Dendrolycopodium, Spinulum, and Lycopodium (sensu stricto). The reasoning behind this division is very strong, and it is here followed. Profound differences in anatomy, morphology, reproduction, gametophyte morphology, and karyotype support this separation, in addition to the very great age of these lineages. The chromosome numbers of our genera: Dendrolycopodium (x=34), Diphasiastrum (x=23), Huperzia (x=67, 68), Lycopodiella (x=78), Lycopodium (x=34), Palhinhaea (x=55), Pseudolycopodiella (x=35), and Spinulum (x=34). Øllgaard in Kramer & Green (1990) and Wikström & Kenrick (2000) follow a somewhat broader coarse, recognizing three genera for our species (corresponding to the subfamilies of Wagner & Beitel 1992), and recognizing as sections the genera of Wagner & Beitel (1992). Øllgaard states that the “genera are very distinct, and also the sections within Lycopodiella and Lycopodium seem to represent ancient, independent evolutionary lines”; later, Øllgaard has elevated the sections to generic rank (Øllgaard & Windisch 2014). Wikström & Kenrick (2000, 2001) suggest that the phylogenetic separation of Lycopodium (including Diphasiastrum) and Lycopodiella (including Pseudolycopodiella and Palhinhaea) occurred at least as long ago as the early Jurassic (208 million years before present), and the divergence of Huperzia from Lycopodium and Lycopodiella still longer ago. Based on this deep division between Huperzia and the other genera, some authors additionally advocate the recognition of Huperzia in a separate family, Huperziaceae, an opinion followed here.
REFERENCE: Lellinger (1985); Mickel (1979); Wagner and Beitel (1992); Beitel (1979); Snyder & Bruce (1986); Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993b); Øllgaard in Kramer & Green (1990); Wikström & Kenrick (2000, 2001); Øllgaard (1987); Haines (2003a). Key based in part on Haines (2003a).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Diphasiastrum (Flat-branched Clubmoss, Running Cedar)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 15-20 species, mostly north temperate and subarctic. This group is sometimes treated as Lycopodium section Complanata (llgaard in Kramer & Green 1990, llgaard 1987, Wikstrm & Kenrick 2000).
REFERENCE: Wagner & Beitel in FNA (1993b); Haines (2003a)=Z; llgaard in Kramer & Green (1990); Wikstrm & Kenrick (2000).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Diphasiastrum digitatum in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Diphasiastrum digitatum in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Diphasiastrum digitatum in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Diphasiastrum digitatum in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Diphasiastrum digitatum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Diphasiastrum digitatum

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 14157 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 14157 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 21 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)