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Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella convoluta
Terrarium Well documented

Selaginella convoluta

Selaginella convoluta is a widespread Neotropical resurrection spikemoss, growing from Mexico and the Caribbean to Argentina. Its rosettes curl into a tight ball when dry and reopen after rain. It grows on rock outcrops and inselbergs in seasonally dry country, so it wants bright light and a wet–dry rhythm, not a humid, shaded terrarium.

Selaginella convoluta
Photo: Jorge Armín Escalante Pasos, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

Labels include herbaceous vegetation islands on granite inselbergs in eastern Brazil. It grows in thin soil over rock in seasonally dry vegetation.

Recorded at 0–4000 m, median 400 m (428 records). The Colombian checklist gives 450–1900 m, and the 4000 m record is probably an error.

Argentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBelizeBoliviaBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralColombiaCubaDominican RepublicGuatemalaGuyanaHondurasMexico SoutheastNicaragua

🔒 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. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.