#spikemoss

Bigelow’s spikemoss (Selaginella bigelovii).

It’s a California native and grows in rocky places; I’ve only ever seen it grow in the slender crevices of boulders. It’s tiny, maybe a half-inch in height, but its bright color really stands out along the granite.

Fern fiddleheads, specifically Matteuccia struthiopteris, the Ostrich Fern! They look much prettier than I made them here (link).

The leaves on Ivy’s shirt is Selaginella uncinata, aka Peacock Spikemoss (not a true moss). They really are iridescent blue like peacock feathers, which is probably an adaptation to protect their cells from UV damage. When you get them wet they look more normal green and the iridescence is lost until they dry again, you can kind of see it in the picture I got from the greenhouse.

My 200k epic sheith fic, Spikemoss will be complete this Sunday! Absolutely thrilled to have completed it!!

If you've been waiting until it was done to jump in, your wait is finally over! It's fully tagged, but if you have any questions about any triggers, I'm happy to answer any questions in the Ask. :)

AKA Selaginella azorica, Selaginella canescens, Krauss' spikemoss, African clubmoss and 'peacock fern'.

Native to the volcanic archipelagos of the Eastern Atlantic, and parts of south and east Africa. Since its introduction to Britain in 1878 it has spread slowly, and was first recorded in the wild in 1917, but an increasingly frequent greenhouse weed. Invasive in Australia and NZ, forming dense mats in shaded areas as in the photos above.

A few species of the 750 Selaginella are desert plants that curl up in a tight, brown or reddish ball during dry times, and uncurl and turn green after rain.

Willdenow's Spikemoss or “Electric fern” as people call it here. This plant is NOT native to a Australia, it was introduced. I’m uncertain, but I think this plant is from Malaysia.

Selaginella willdenowii

While I'm posting about a desert Selaginella, I figured I'd also post a photo of my Selaginella uncinata, aka Peacock Moss or Rainbow Fern.

This is another type of Spikemoss that hails from moist forests, growing in deep shade. I have been keeping this in a dark bathroom that only has one very small window - being darker than any other space I grow in.

I have had other plants suffer greatly in this bathroom. Even my crocodile fern did not seem too pleased with the low light, but this baby is absolutely thriving and has made quite a bit of new growth in the short period I've had her.

Rainbow moss has an incredible adaptation that is extremely rare in the plant kingdom: iridescent leaves. This iridescence gives the fronds it's blue color, which shows anywhere from purple, blue, or teal depending on how the light hits it - it also helps the plant make the most of low-light conditions, refracting light off the iridescent shimmer of it's fronds.

I hope to play around in the future with light levels with this plant. I've seen photos where the fronds take on nearly every color of the rainbow (hence it's name) with the addition of red and orange tones. Most people claim it has its best color in full shade, which brings out the blue, but I'm unsure how to get the additional colors to show up - my guess is more light but most people suggest this will bring out more vibrant green.