Psilotum nudum(L.) P.Beauv.

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WFO wfo-0001109597 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Psilotum nudum, photographed by Djibo Zanzot
fig. a Djibo Zanzot, CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2022-06-09 / obs. 205306495

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 148 botanical countries

Regions where Psilotum nudum is native: Angola, Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Free State, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Réunion, Rodrigues, Senegal, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Japan, Kazan-retto, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Ogasawara-shoto, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Yemen, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Christmas I., East Himalaya, India, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Pakistan, Philippines, Solomon Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Kermadec Is., New South Wales, New Zealand North, Norfolk Is., Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, Spain, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Fiji, Gilbert Is., Hawaii, Line Is., Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Pitcairn Is., Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Society Is., Tokelau-Manihiki, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis-Futuna Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Central American Pacific Is., Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Is. AngolaCape ProvincesDR CongoEquatorial GuineaEswatiniFree StateGabonGhanaGuineaGulf of Guinea Is.KenyaKwaZulu-NatalLesothoLiberiaMadagascarMozambiqueNigeriaNorthern ProvincesSenegalTanzaniaUgandaZambiaZimbabweChina North-CentralChina South-CentralChina SoutheastJapanSaudi ArabiaTaiwanYemenAssamBangladeshEast HimalayaIndiaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPakistanPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiThailandVietnamWest HimalayaNew South WalesNew Zealand NorthNorthern TerritoryQueenslandVictoriaWestern AustraliaSpainAlabamaArizonaArkansasFloridaGeorgiaLouisianaMexico CentralMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestMississippiNorth CarolinaSouth CarolinaTexasFijiHawaiiNew CaledoniaArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBelizeBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralCentral American Pacific Is.ColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruPuerto RicoUruguayVenezuela Cape VerdeChagos ArchipelagoComorosMauritiusRéunionRodriguesSeychellesKoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.Christmas I.Nicobar Is.South China SeaKermadec Is.Norfolk Is.Caroline Is.Cook Is.Line Is.MarianasMarquesasMarshall Is.NauruNiuePitcairn Is.SamoaSociety Is.Tokelau-ManihikiTongaTuamotuTubuai Is.TuvaluVanuatuWallis-Futuna Is.BahamasBermudaCayman Is.GalápagosLeeward Is.Venezuelan AntillesWindward Is.
Native distribution of Psilotum nudum, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bahamas BAH
Belize BLZ
Bermuda BER
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Central American Pacific Is. CPI
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Galápagos GAL
Guatemala GUA
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Venezuelan Antilles VNA
Windward Is. WIN
Angola ANG AFRICA
Cape Provinces CPP
Cape Verde CVI
Chagos Archipelago CGS
Comoros COM
DR Congo ZAI
Equatorial Guinea EQG
Eswatini SWZ
Free State OFS
Gabon GAB
Ghana GHA
Guinea GUI
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Lesotho LES
Liberia LBR
Madagascar MDG
Mauritius MAU
Mozambique MOZ
Nigeria NGA
Northern Provinces TVL
Réunion REU
Rodrigues ROD
Senegal SEN
Seychelles SEY
Tanzania TAN
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
Christmas I. XMS
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Nicobar Is. NCB
Pakistan PAK
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
South China Sea SCS
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
West Himalaya WHM
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Fiji FIJ
Gilbert Is. GIL
Hawaii HAW
Line Is. LIN
Marianas MRN
Marquesas MRQ
Marshall Is. MRS
Nauru NRU
New Caledonia NWC
Niue NUE
Pitcairn Is. PIT
Samoa SAM
Santa Cruz Is. SCZ
Society Is. SCI
Tokelau-Manihiki TOK
Tonga TON
Tuamotu TUA
Tubuai Is. TUB
Tuvalu TUV
Vanuatu VAN
Wallis-Futuna Is. WAL
Alabama ALA NORTHERN AMERICA
Arizona ARI
Arkansas ARK
Florida FLA
Georgia GEO
Louisiana LOU
Mexican Pacific Is. MXI
Mexico Central MXC
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Northwest MXN
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS
Mississippi MSI
North Carolina NCA
South Carolina SCA
Texas TEX
China North-Central CHN ASIA-TEMPERATE
China South-Central CHC
China Southeast CHS
Japan JAP
Kazan-retto KZN
Korea KOR
Nansei-shoto NNS
Ogasawara-shoto OGA
Saudi Arabia SAU
Taiwan TAI
Yemen YEM
Kermadec Is. KER AUSTRALASIA
New South Wales NSW
New Zealand North NZN
Norfolk Is. NFK
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
Victoria VIC
Western Australia WAU
Spain SPA EUROPE

Not drawn on the map: Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Mexican Pacific Is., Gilbert Is., Santa Cruz Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for these regions, so they are listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Where it actually grows measured, from 2,035 observations

Condition 5th percentile Median 95th percentile
Coldest month, mean daily low 7.4 °C 12.8 °C 20.7 °C
Warmest month, mean daily high 21.8 °C 30.3 °C 31.7 °C
Annual rainfall 860 mm 1,778 mm 3,417 mm
Rainfall in the driest quarter 58 mm 219 mm 605 mm

It is barely found anywhere that freezes. This is not care advice and it is not a forecast. It is a measurement: we sampled the climate at every one of the 2,035 research-grade observations of Psilotum nudum that carry a coordinate, and this is the range those places actually span. The 5th and 95th percentiles are used rather than the minimum and maximum, because a single cultivated specimen in a heated conservatory should not widen a tropical plant's range to the Arctic.

This is not a hardiness zone. A USDA zone is the average annual extreme minimum temperature. The figure above is the mean daily minimum of the coldest month, which is a different quantity and is typically far warmer. Reading one as the other would place a plant several zones too warm, so we do not publish a hardiness zone, because we do not have one.

Also published as 25 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Bernhardia antillarum Müll.Berol.
  • Bernhardia capensis Müll.Hal.
  • Bernhardia deppeana Müll.Berol.
  • Bernhardia dichotoma Willd. ex Bernh.
  • Bernhardia novae-hollandiae K.Mull.
  • Bernhardia oahuensis Müll.Berol.
  • Hoffmannia aphylla Willd.
  • Hoffmannia uxpanapense Cast.-Campos & Baut.-Bello
  • Lycopodium nudum L.
  • Psilotum domingense Gand.
  • Psilotum flabellatum Gand.
  • Psilotum floridanum Michx.
  • Psilotum heterocarpum Colenso
  • Psilotum neocaledonicum Gand.
  • Psilotum novae-zelandiae Gand.
  • Psilotum nudum (L.) Griseb.
  • Psilotum nudum var. fallicinum (Domin) Domin
  • Psilotum nudum var. molesworthiae Iranzo, Prada & Salvo
  • Psilotum nudum var. normale Domin
  • Psilotum triquetrum Sw.
  • Psilotum triquetrum f. insulare Brade
  • Psilotum triquetrum var. fallacinum Domin
  • Psilotum triquetrum var. gracile Grev. & Hook.
  • Psilotum triquetrum var. latum Desv.

and 1 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.