Selaginella Moss

There are about 700 varieties of Selaginella Plants which are often referred to as Spikemoss or Arborvitae Ferns. Selaginella Plants are very diverse in their size and in the ways they grow. Many Selaginella Plants can be found growing wild in tropical America, Asia, China, Japan, North America, Mexico, South Africa and Australia. Selaginella, and, depending upon the variety, may be a creeping, climbing, or trailing plant. Selaginella kraussiana, which is also called Spreading Club Moss or Trailing Moss, grows about ½ inch high and has a limitless spread. S. kraussiana has very small bright green leaves that overlap on trailing jointed stems. Selanginella martensii is a small bushy plant that grows about 7-9” tall and just as wide. S. martensii has thick, multi-branched stems filled with small green leaves. When S. lepidophylla, a native of desert and semidesert regions, doesn’t get enough water, the leaves roll into tight brown and the plant becomes totally dormant. Once this Selaginella Plant gets some moisture, the leaves open up, turn green, and the plant starts to grow again. This is why the Selaginella lepidophyllagets is called the “Resurrection Plant.

Light requirements depend upon the variety of Selaginella Plant: bright indirect light indoors, partial shade for outdoors.

Keep the soil of a Selaginella Plant moist but never soggy and avoid using cold water. A Selaginella Plant becomes totally dormant and the leaves roll into tight little brown balls when there is no moisture. Once the Selaginella Plant is watered, it turns green and starts to grow again.

This plant needs very little plant food. Feed the plant twice a year, once in April and once in July with a water-soluble fertilizer diluted to ½ the recommended strength.

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