Sign in Start free
Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella acanthostachys
Terrarium Partly documented

Selaginella acanthostachys

An Andean cloud-forest spikemoss known from southern Ecuador (Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe, around Podocarpus National Park and Reserva Tapichalaca) and northern Peru. Herbarium labels place it on shaded, mossy sandstone rocks, road cuts and earthen banks in upper montane forest at roughly 2100–2800 m. Grow it cool, constantly moist and shaded: mild days, cold nights and saturated air.

At home, aim for
Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night A clear drop at nightTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Herbarium labels describe it as epilithic on shaded sandstone rocks and mossy rail cuts in upper montane forest, and on cut earthen walls in disturbed bamboo and broadleaf cloud forest, sometimes at quite exposed sites among mosses.

Dated records run from 2100 to 2825 m, median 2400 m. A lower 1710 m site adds a little warmth to the averaged climate.

EcuadorPeru

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it
✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
✓ Substrate and airflow
✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

Grow Selaginella acanthostachys? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

Start free Sign in

More Selaginella

Selaginella apoda Selaginella lepidophylla Selaginella tortipila Selaginella ciliaris Selaginella moellendorffii Selaginella deflexa Selaginella kraussiana Selaginella selaginoides Selaginella stellata Selaginella uliginosa Selaginella australiensis Selaginella brisbanensis All 765 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.