Selaginella exaltata

Selaginella exaltata is one of the few climbing spikemosses. Its stiff, cord-like stems scramble several metres up through vegetation in wet lowland forest from Costa Rica to Bolivia and Amazonian Brazil. It needs heat, high humidity, room to climb and brighter light than forest-floor spikemosses.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodClimber

Where it grows wild

A scrambling or climbing spikemoss of wet lowland rainforest, often in gaps and along edges where it climbs into shrubs. Indigenous communities use the tough rhizome and stems for weaving and in traditional medicine.

GBIF's Colombian description gives 0–400 m. Records span 5–2200 m, with a median of 220 m (463 records).

Costa RicaPanamaColombiaEcuadorPeruBoliviaBrazil North

🔒 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.