Huperzia is a genus of lycophyte plants, sometimes known as the firmosses or fir clubmosses; the Flora of North America calls them gemma fir-mosses. This genus was originally included in the related genus Lycopodium, from which it differs in having undifferentiated sporangial leaves, and the sporangia not formed into apical cones. The common name firmoss, used for some of the north temperate species, refers to their superficial resemblance to branches of fir (Abies), a conifer. As of 2020, two very different circumscriptions of the genus were in use. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, Huperzia is one of three genera in the subfamily Huperzioideae of the family Lycopodiaceae. Most species in the subfamily are placed in the genus Phlegmariurus. Huperzia is left with about 25 species, although not all have been formally transferred to other genera. Other sources recognize only Huperzia, which then has about 340 species.
Macaronesia is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coasts of the continents of Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic islands, which are formed by seamounts on the ocean floor and have peaks above the ocean's surface. Some of the Macaronesian islands belong to Portugal, some belong to Spain, and the rest belong to Cape Verde. Politically, the islands belonging to Portugal and Spain are part of the European Union. Geologically, Macaronesia is part of the African tectonic plate. Some of its islands – the Azores – are situated along the edge of that plate at the point where it abuts the Eurasian and North American plates.
Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands dragon tree or drago, is a subtropical tree in the genus Dracaena, native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and is thought to be introduced in the Azores. Its closest living relative is the dragon blood tree of Socotra, Dracaena cinnabari.
Phlegmariurus is a genus of lycophyte plants in the family Lycopodiaceae. The genus is recognized in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016, but not by some other sources, which keep it in a broadly defined Huperzia.
Phlegmariurus ascendens is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Phlegmariurus austroecuadoricus is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Phlegmariurus compactus is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador, where it is distributed throughout the southern Andean páramos. It occurs up to 4500 meters in altitude.
Phlegmariurus espinosanus is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Phlegmariurus hastatus is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador, where it is known from two locations in Loja Province. It grows on the páramo, where it is threatened by grazing and fire.
Phlegmariurus loxensis is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador, where it occurs in the páramo and forests of the Andes. It is threatened by fire in its habitat.
Phlegmariurus scabridus is a species of plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Laurus azorica, the Azores laurel or Macaronesian laurel is a species of plant in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is endemic to the Azores.
Ocotea foetens, commonly called til or stinkwood is a species of tree in the family Lauraceae. It is evergreen and grows up to 40 m tall. It is a common constituent of the laurisilva forests of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Leaf fossils of this species are known from the Mio-Pleistocene of Madeira Island.
Phlegmariurus nutans, synonym Huperzia nutans, known as wawaeʻiole or nodding clubmoss, is a species of club moss in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is endemic to wet forests and cliffside shrublands on the islands of Oahu and Kauai in Hawaii. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Sideroxylon mirmulans, commonly known as marmulano, is a species of flowering plants in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Madeira Islands (Portugal). It is threatened by habitat loss.
Phlegmariurus phlegmaria, synonym Huperzia phlegmaria, commonly known as either coarse tassel fern or common tassel fern, is an epiphytic species native to rainforests in Madagascar, some islands in the Indian Ocean, Asia, Australasia and many Pacific Islands. Phlegmariurus phlegmaria is commonly found in moist forests and rainforests at high altitudes, in and amongst mosses and other epiphytes. Members of the order Lycopodiales are commonly referred to as clubmosses.
Ilex perado, the Macaronesian holly, is a species of holly endemic to Macaronesia, distributed throughout the Azores, Madeira and Canary islands. It is an important component of the natural high-altitude Macaronesian rainforest, known as 'laurisilva', found mostly at 500 to 1,200 m altitude but it also appears in forest formations at lower altitudes. Many of the subspecies have been classified as threatened, probably because of very small population sizes, and are protected by local, national and regional legislation.
Culcita macrocarpa, or the woolly tree fern, is a species of tree fern of the family Culcitaceae native to Macaronesia and parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the only tree fern native to Europe.
The African brown snapper is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a snapper belonging to the family Lutjanidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
