Selaginella moellendorffii

An upright, branched spikemoss of shady, moist forest floors and rock banks in subtropical China, Taiwan, the Ryukyus, the Philippines and Indochina. It is the model lycophyte whose genome was sequenced. It is moderately desiccation-tolerant but grows best with steady moisture in a humid terrarium.

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

Moist, shaded forest floors, stream banks, rock crevices and shaded roadside banks, mostly in low- to mid-elevation broadleaf forest. Plants form small, erect, tree-like fronds from creeping bases. Its moderate desiccation tolerance lets it survive brief dry spells.

Records span 60–3,200 m, with a median of 768 m (33 records). Most plants grow in low and mid-elevation forest.

ChinaTaiwanNansei-shoto (Ryukyu Is.)PhilippinesVietnamCambodia

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

Start free Sign in

More Selaginella

Selaginella apoda Selaginella lepidophylla Selaginella tortipila Selaginella ciliaris Selaginella deflexa Selaginella kraussiana Selaginella selaginoides Selaginella stellata Selaginella uliginosa Selaginella australiensis Selaginella brisbanensis Selaginella denticulata All 765 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.