SELAGINELLACEAE

SPIKE-MOSS FAMILY

Dieter H. Wilken

Plants on soil, rocks, or other plants, cespitose, mat-like (± flat), or cushion-like (rounded)
Stems pendent to erect, short to widely spreading, rooting at base or in branch fork; branches intricately intertwined or not
Leaves many, simple, overlapping, appressed, small, ± scale-like, 1-veined, smooth to grooved on back, sessile to decurrent, generally 4-ranked; fertile leaves at same node of prostrate stems equal or not, if unequal, leaves below stem generally appressed, leaves above stem ascending to spreading
Cones generally terminal; leaves like those on sterile stems or not, generally strongly overlapping, triangular in X -section
Sporangia 1 per leaf axil, spheric to reniform; lower generally with (1–3)4 large, 3-ridged, yellow to orange spores; upper generally with many, small, generally pale-colored spores.

SELAGINELLA

SPIKE-MOSS

The only genus
Species in genus: ± 700 species: worldwide, generally tropical and warm temp
Etymology: (Latin: small Selago , ancient name for some Lycopodium )
. Some cultivated as groundcover and curiosity (S. kraussiana, S. lepidophylla , resurrection plant). Hand lens required to observe leaf shape, margin, bristle at tip, cones
Horticultural information: TRY; DFCLT.

Native

S. leucobryoides Maxon

MOJAVE SPIKE-MOSS

Plant cushion-like
Stems prostrate, strongly intertwined, fragile when dry; main stems 1–2(4) cm; lateral branches ascending to erect, < 1 cm
Leaves decurrent; upper and lower equal, 1.5–3(4) mm, linear to lanceolate, bristle-tipped, bristle < 0.5 mm, rigid, margin sparsely ciliate to minutely dentate
Cone 5–12 mm; leaves lanceolate to ovate; large spores yellow
Ecology: UNCOMMON. Among rocks, crevices, generally limestone, scrub, woodland
Elevation: 600–2300 m.
Bioregional distribution: Desert Mountains (Panamint, Kingston, Providence mtns)
Distribution outside California: sw Nevada