Selaginella hansenii
Selaginella lepidophylla
Hansen's spike-moss
flower of stone, resurrection plant
not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked, branches determinate, tips upturned.
with underside leaves slightly longer and narrower than upperside leaves, otherwise monomorphic, not clearly ranked, tightly appressed, ascending, green or green with red spots, or reddish, linear-lanceolate (underside) to linear-triangular (upperside), (2–)3–4.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm;
abaxial ridges present;
base abruptly adnate, pubescent (sometimes glabrous);
margins ciliate, cilia white to white opaque, strongly appressed and ascending, 0.03–0.1 mm;
apex with bristle white to white-opaque, 0.5–1.4 mm (those on underside leaves sometimes 1/4–1/2 longer than those on upperside leaves).
thick and stiff.
solitary, 5–7 mm;
sporophylls ovate-deltate to ovate-triangular, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins short-ciliate, apex bristled.
solitary, 3–12 mm;
sporophylls monomorphic, deltate-ovate, slightly keeled, keel not dentate, base pubescent, margins transparent, short-ciliate at base, denticulate toward apex, apex acuminate to acute.
borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.25–0.45 mm diam.
borne on upperside of stems, restricted to basal part of rosette, 0.3–0.5 mm diam.
(central) stem spirally compact, branched, branches 2–3-forked, prostrate, flat when moist, curling inward when dry (ball-like), not articulate, weakly puberulent.
leaves yellow to reddish on abaxial surface, green on adaxial surface, overlapping, ascending, deltate to deltate-ovate, 2–2.2 X (1–)1.7–1.8 mm;
base nearly cordate, pubescent;
margins transparent, ciliate toward base, dentate to ciliate toward apex;
apex rounded.
leaves broadly ovate, 1.5–1.7 × 1.4–1.5 mm;
base nearly cordate to truncate, pubescent;
margins transparent, ciliate toward base, dentate to ciliate toward apex;
apex abruptly acuminate (short-cuspidate) to obtuse.
Selaginella hansenii
Selaginella lepidophylla
Leaf dimorphism in Selaginella hansenii is only slightly and inconsistently expressed; the upperside leaves tend to be more lanceolate, short, and slightly thick, whereas the underside leaves tend to be more linear, longer, and thinner, but in some specimens the leaves are monomorphic. Red leaves are rare within Selaginella subg. Tetragonostachys, otherwise found in the flora only occasionally in S. rupestris. Such leaves are more common in S. steyermarkii Alston from southern Mexico and Guatemala and S. sartorii Hieronymus from Mexico.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Selaginella lepidophylla is sold as a commonly grown house plant and is cultivated in greenhouses. When dry, lateral branches of desiccated plants curl inward; upon rehydration, they uncurl and resume normal growth, even after years of being dry. Among the species in the flora, it is allied to S. pilifera.
Of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
