Flora of the Southeastern United States

Huperzia appalachiana Beitel & Mickel. Common name: Appalachian Firmoss. Phenology: Jun-Aug. Habitat: Rock outcrops at high elevations (very rarely at middle elevations), rarely also in seepage or along banks of small streams at high elevations, and in fens (on hummocks). Distribution: Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador (Newfoundland) west to Ontario, Michigan, and Minnesota and south along the Appalachians to w. North Carolina, e. Tennessee, and ne. Georgia. Previous reports of Huperzia selago from the Central and Southern Appalachians re based on this species.

ID notes: This is the smallest of our Huperzia species, usually occurring on rock in exposed situations at moderate to high elevations (>3000 feet).

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Taxonomy Comments: This species was named in 1992 as H. appalachiana (Beitel & Mickel 1992), but has been uncertainly separated from H. appressa (Desvaux) A. Löve & D. Löve. H. appressa has priority if the two species are combined, but it appears that H. appalachiana should be separated (W. Testo, pers.comm., 2025). Though morphologically only subtly differentiated from the circumboreal Huperzia selago (for distinctions see Beitel & Mickel 1992; Brunton, Wagner, & Beitel 1992; Haines 2003a), the case for the distinctness of Huperzia appressa is confirmed by the production of sterile (abortive-spored) hybrids where it co-occurs with H. selago. Testo (pers.comm., 2020) considers there to be questions remaining about the correct taxonomic treatment of the "Appalachian Firmoss" and the name to apply to it, but he and I agree that Björk's (2020) decision to retreat to a broad Huperzia selago (including Huperzia appressa and Huperzia appalachiana) is retrograde and does not help us towards a truer solution. We provisionally accept H. appalachiana as separate from either H. appressa or H. selago.

Synonymy ⓘ: = FNA2, K1, K4, NS, POWO; < Huperzia appressa (Desv.) Á.Löve & D.Löve — Can, NE, NY, Tn, Va, Haines (2003a), Testo, Haines, & Gilman (2016); < Huperzia selago (L.) Bernh. ex Mart. & Schrank — Björk (2020); < Lycopodium selago L. — RAB, S13, Sf, W; >< Lycopodium selago L. var. appressum Desv. — C, F; >< Lycopodium selago L. var. selago — C, G. Basionym: Huperzia appalachiana Beitel & Mickel 1992

Links to other floras: = Huperzia appalachiana - FNA2

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Midwest: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACU (taxonomic split from wetland indicator species)

Heliophily ⓘ: 5