Selaginella erythropus

An upright, fern-like spikemoss from Central and tropical South America, green above and ruby red beneath and on the stems, growing to about 30–40 cm. It lives on the shaded, leaf-littered floor of forests, including seasonally dry forests in Brazil, and in cultivation it wants low light, constant moisture and high humidity.

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

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

A terrestrial plant of the forest understory. Brazilian herbarium labels describe it on clay soil with deep leaf litter, at the base of hills under the forest canopy, and in seasonally dry forest and caatinga-to-dry-forest transitions.

Brazilian specimens with elevations fall at about 300–700 m.

Central AmericaTropical South AmericaBrazilWest Indies (possibly introduced)

🔒 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 CC0 licence, unmodified.