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Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella diffusa
Terrarium Partly documented

Selaginella diffusa

A widespread Neotropical spikemoss found from Belize and Trinidad to Bolivia. It is common in Costa Rica and the Colombian Andes, with most records at about 1000 to 2000 m. It is a creeping plant of humid forest floors and banks, suited to a warm-intermediate terrarium.

Selaginella diffusa
Photo: Salix, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets 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

Assumed to creep on the ground in wet montane and premontane forest and along shaded banks, based on its range and elevation. The data file includes no habitat notes.

Recorded from 30 m up to a reported 5000 m (likely an error), with a median of 1400 m (690 records).

BelizeBoliviaColombiaCosta RicaEcuadorFrench GuianaPanamáPeruSurinameTrinidad-TobagoVenezuela

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.