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Species library › Selaginella › Selaginella umbrosa
Terrarium Partly documented

Selaginella umbrosa

A spikemoss from southern Mexico and Central America to Colombia and Venezuela, with upright red stems 8–25 cm tall carrying flat, frond-like green branches. As its name says, it grows in shade. It is a good terrarium plant that needs steady moisture, humid air and low to moderate light.

Selaginella umbrosa
Photo: Daderot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

It grows on shaded forest floors and banks in tropical forest, often in humid, sheltered spots. It has naturalised in shaded places in Hawaii.

No elevation data was found. Its range, from Yucatán to Colombia and Venezuela, is mostly tropical lowland and foothill forest.

Southern Mexico (Yucatán)Central AmericaColombiaVenezuela

🔒 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 Public domain licence, unmodified.