Key to Selaginella

View taxon page for Selaginella

(For a list of species in Selaginella, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Leaves of 2 kinds, in 4 ranks, lacking abaxial groove; stems with slight swellings (articulations; often inconspicuous) at branch points ..... S. kraussiana

1' Leaves ± of 1 kind, not in distinct ranks, with abaxial groove; stems lacking articulations

2. Leaf tip 

awn 

1. Bristle-like appendage or elongation, generally terminal. 2. Stiff, needle-like pappus element in Asteraceae.

0 or inconspicuous

3. Leaves of main stem not pointed up, under-leaves ± like over-leaves; leaves near tip of sterile shoots generally < 0.4 mm wide; plant pale green aging tan ..... S. cinerascens

3' Leaves of main stem with tips pointed up, under-leaves longer, more curved around stem than over-leaves; leaves near tip of sterile shoots often > 0.4 mm wide; plant green aging orange-brown ..... S. eremophila

2' Leaf tip awn >> 

leaf 

Organ arising from a stem, generally composed of a stalk (petiole) and a flat, expanded, green, photosynthetic area (blade); distinguished from a leaflet by the presence in its axil of a bud, branch, thorn, or flower; sometimes with lateral, basal appendages (stipules); either simple (toothed, lobed, or dissected but not divided into leaflets) or compound (divided into leaflets).

 margin teeth

4. Plant often on trees, occasionally on rocks, curly when dry; rhizophores limited to lower ~1/3 of stem; humid NCo, KR, NCoRO ..... S. oregana

4' Plant not on trees, usually on rocks, not curly when dry; rhizophores present in distal 1/2 of stem (except S. bigelovii); humid NCo, KR, NCoRO or not

5. Plant with ± 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

stems lacking rhizophores; leaf base hairs on margins, abaxial surface ..... S. bigelovii

5' Plant without ± erect rootless stems lacking rhizophores; leaf base hairs generally on margins only (also on surfaces in Selaginella asprella)

6. For most sterile leaves of main stem, distance from end of abaxial groove to base of awn generally > 1/3 maximum leaf width; 

awns 

1. Bristle-like appendage or elongation, generally terminal. 2. Stiff, needle-like pappus element in Asteraceae.

generally 

entire 

Having margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).

; 1350–4100 m ..... S. watsonii

6' For most sterile leaves of main stem, distance from end of abaxial groove to base of awn < 1/3 maximum leaf width; awns toothed; < 2700 m

7. Plant with some leaves red, pink-red, or red-streaked; plant not dense cushions, at margins loosely 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

, branching ± 

pinnate 

Feather-like; pertaining to veins, lobes, leaflets, or other structures arranged in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane) along either side of an axis; a leaf is odd-pinnate if there is a terminal leaflet, even-pinnate if there is not, and either odd- or even-pinnate may be 1-pinnate (blade divided into primary leaflets), 2-pinnate (primary leaflets divided into secondary leaflets), 3-pinnate (secondary leaflets divided into tertiary leaflets), etc.

; s NCoRI, CaR, SN, ScV (Sutter Buttes), n SCoR; 250–1700 m ..... S. hansenii

7' Plant without any leaves red, pink-red, or red-streaked; plants dense cushions or not, at margins not loosely spreading, branching not pinnate; NW, n SNF (Butte Co.), n&c SNH, s SN, n SnFrB (Marin Co.), TR, PR, DMtns; 600–2700 m

8. Awn length often > leaf width, margins with cilia >> 3 × longer than wide; leaf hairs on surface at base on some leaves ..... S. asprella

8' Awn length generally < leaf width, margins with teeth generally < 3 × longer than wide; leaf hairs on margins only

9. Branches not elongate, not spreading, 2° branches rarely above substrate; stem fragile when dry; DMtns ..... S. leucobryoides

9' Branches ± elongate, often spreading, 2° branches frequently above substrate; stem ± not fragile when dry; n CA

10. Tip of leaf near sterile stem tip with end of abaxial groove not surrounded by thickening; leaves of main stem generally swept upward, under-leaves curved, ± > over-leaves, 

decurrent 

Pertaining to a wing-like or ridge-like extension basal to the apparent or actual point of attachment, particularly a leaf base that appears to continue onto the stem.

; sterile shoot 

internodes 

Segment of an axis (generally a stem) between successive positions (nodes) from which one or more structures (especially leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise.

generally < 7 mm, tip with distal-most awns more 

exserted 

Protruding out of surrounding structure(s) (e.g., stamens exserted from corolla).

than those just below ..... S. scopulorum

10' Tip of leaf near sterile stem tip with end of abaxial groove surrounded by thickening; leaves of main stem not swept upward, ± alike, under-leaves rarely unlike over-leaves, not decurrent; sterile shoot internodes often > 7 mm, tip with distal-most awns not more exserted than those just below ..... S. wallacei

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