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Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella altheae
Terrarium Partly documented

Selaginella altheae

A tall, erect, fern-like spikemoss from the upper Rio Negro and Amazon basin, described by Valdespino in 2017. Its stems are 30–65 cm long, sparsely branched and spread by stolons. It suits a large, warm, very humid terrarium.

At home, aim for
Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Very humid airBand in Plantistry
Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A terrestrial plant of lowland Amazonian rainforest. The type and paratype collections come from riverbanks and forest along the Rio Negro, the Casiquiare and near Cerro de la Neblina. It forms erect, stoloniferous colonies in shaded, humid ground.

Lowland: the measured records are at 140 m, and a paratype from near Leticia is at 450 m.

Northern BrazilColombiaVenezuela

🔒 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

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