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Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella martensii
Terrarium Well documented

Selaginella martensii

Variegated spikemoss

A spreading, frond-like spikemoss from moist forest floors and stream banks in Mexico and Central America. It is widely grown in terrariums, including variegated forms. The wild records centre around 1,400 m, where days are mild, nights are cool and humidity is high in shade.

Selaginella martensii
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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

A terrestrial plant of shaded forest floors, rocky banks and ravines in montane and premontane forest.

Recorded elevations are 6–2,350 m, with a median of 1,400 m.

MexicoGuatemalaHondurasNicaraguaCosta RicaPanama

🔒 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

Grow Selaginella martensii? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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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 4.0 licence, unmodified.