Editing Huperzia (section)

==Morphology==
The [[sporophyte]]s of this genus have unbranched shoots that are generally upright and round in cross section. Horizontal stems are absent. The leaves are not borne in distinct ranks, and are usually somewhat lanceolate in shape. In some species, they vary in size according to the season in which they grow. Branchlets bearing gemmae – bud-like structures by which the plant reproduces asexually – occur among the leaves. The gemmae are triangular, with eight leaves in a constant pattern: four flattened into a plane and two large lateral leaves. The [[Sporangium|sporangia]] are kidney-shaped (reniform), occurring at the base of a leaf that is either unmodified or reduced. The roots are produced near the apex of shoots, and migrate downwards inside the cortex of the stem to emerge at soil level. The unbranched [[gametophyte]]s are not photosynthetic, but rather subterranean and [[mycorrhiza]]l.<ref name=FNA/>

The ''Flora of North America'' distinguishes ''Huperzia'' from the [[Epiphyte|epiphytic]] tropical genus ''Phlegmariurus'' on the basis of differences such as the former's complex and specialized shoots, the gemmae and the branchlets on which they are borne, and the unbranched gametophytes.<ref name=FNA/>