Selaginella biformis

A spikemoss of tropical and subtropical Asian forests, from the eastern Himalaya and southern China to the Philippines and New Guinea, growing from long-creeping rhizomes that send up branched, frond-like shoots. Collections come from shaded lowland and lower montane evergreen rainforest, sometimes over limestone. It needs shade, steady warmth and constant humidity, like most forest Selaginella.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Herbarium labels describe it as a terrestrial herb, occasionally lithophytic, in lowland evergreen and lower montane rainforest, mixed forest and forest over limestone, often along trails and streams. The rhizome is long-creeping, and it is described as frequent to occasional where it occurs.

Specimens range from about 330 m (Laos) to 1,660 m (Mount Apo, Philippines), mostly 500–1,300 m.

Eastern HimalayaIndiaBangladeshMyanmarSouthern China and Hong KongRyukyu IslandsThailandLaosCambodiaVietnamNicobar IslandsSumatraJavaBorneoPhilippinesSulawesi

🔒 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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More Selaginella

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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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its Public domain licence, unmodified.