Lycopodioides eatonii (Hieron. ex Small) Weakley, 2023

Lycopodioides eatonii (Hieron. ex Small) Weakley View in CoL , comb. nov. BASIONYM: Selaginella eatonii Hieron.ex Small, Ferns Trop. Florida 67.1918. Diplostachyum eatonii (Hieron.ex Small) Small, Ferns S.E.States 422.1938. TYPE: U.S. A. FLORIDA: Miami-Dade Co.: about lime sinks,border of Everglades,Black Point Creek, A.A.Eaton 265 (LECTOTYPE, here designated: NY).

Selaginella eatonii Hieron. ex Small View in CoL was named in 1918 ( Small 1918) and has been generally recognized since at species rank, though it has sometimes been merged with S. armata View in CoL or treated at variety rank under that species, as Selaginella armata Baker var. eatonii (Hieron. ex Small) B.F. Hansen & Wunderlin ( Hansen & Wunderlin 1998) View in CoL . In doing so, they stated that “ Selaginella eatonii View in CoL … was separated from S. armata View in CoL by Buck on several anatomical (e.g., stomatal arrangement) characters and morphological characters, the most consistent and readily observed being differences in the leaf margin. Selaginella armata View in CoL has evident hyaline leaf margins that are ciliate, especially at the base, while the leaves of S. eatonii View in CoL have much less evident hyaline margins that are serrate. These characters hold up well, even in the material from western Cuba, where S. eatonii View in CoL is sympatric with S. armata View in CoL in the Pinar del RÍo and La Habana provinces. However, we feel that the characters are so minor and the two taxa so obviously closely related, that the best disposition for practicality and consistency is at varietal level.” I agree with Buck (1978) that this entity should be recognized at species rank; he studied the matter most carefully, and recognized that consistent differences, not the small size of characters in small plants, is most taxonomically informative in recognizing evolutionary species.