Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Hokitika. Type: W, Hokitika, W. Tipler.

Main stems subterranean in boggy ground, above ground in drier habitats, seldom more than 25 cm. long, with deeply descending branches. Aerial stems much-branched, prostrate to sub-lianoid, often interlacing. Lvs spreading to ascending, 3-5 mm. long, subulate-lanceolate, mucronate, decurrent, keeled. Strobili solitary, terminal, erect, 6-15 mm. long, sts terminating short lateral branchlets. Sporophylls imbricate, ascending, broad-ovate, abruptly acuminate to cuspidate, margins entire or with a few teeth.

DIST.: S., St. Lowland bogs and wet ground on western side of S. Also occurs on Mount Greenland, Westland, at c. 900 m. (Holloway).

Nessel (loc. cit. 1939, 376) records L. diffusum R. Br. Prodr. 1810, 165 for N.Z., as well as Australia and Tasmania. Branches ascending, 15-30 cm. long; lvs linear, 5-6 mm. long, patent; strobili 5-15 mm. long. He recognizes that it is often difficult to distinguish diffusum from the usually lower growing ramulosum.