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- Selaginellaceae
- Selaginella
- Selaginella eclipes
Selaginella eclipes — hidden spikemoss
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Hidden spikemoss is distributed from the Midwest through northwestern New York and into eastern Ontario and Quebec. It is very rare in New England, being found in a few sites in western Connecticut and one historical record in western Massachusetts. It prefers moist to wet sites on calcareous soils.
Habitat
Meadows and fields, swamps
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Leaf shape
- the vegetative leaves are short and scale-like
- Spore leaf arrangement
- the sporophylls are located on spore cones at the tips of the shoots or branches
- Form of shoot
- NA
- Horizontal stem
- the horizontal stem is on the surface of the ground
- Leaf differences
- the vegetative leaves within a node differ in size and shape
- Teeth on leaf edges
- the edges of the vegetative leaves have tiny teeth
- Leaf outline
-
- the vegetative leaves are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
- the vegetative leaves are widest above the base, then broadly tapering towards the tip (ovate)
-
Clonal plantlets
- Gemma arrangement
- NA
- Gemma shape
- NA
- Gemma width
- 0 mm
-
Leaves
- Leaf differences
- the vegetative leaves within a node differ in size and shape
- Leaf length
- 1–2 mm
- Leaf orientation
- the vegetative leaves spread away from the stem
- Leaf outline
-
- the vegetative leaves are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
- the vegetative leaves are widest above the base, then broadly tapering towards the tip (ovate)
- Leaf ranks
- 4
- Leaf shape
- the vegetative leaves are short and scale-like
- Pores on leaves
- there are pores on both sides of the vegetative leaves
- Teeth on leaf edges
- the edges of the vegetative leaves have tiny teeth
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Specific habitat
-
- meadows or fields
- swamps
-
Spores or spore cones
- Cone base at stem
- the base of the spore-cone does not have a distinct stalk
- Cone stalk branching
- NA
- Cone thickness
- 0 mm
- Length of cone
- 10–40 mm
- Number of cones
- 1
- Quillwort itssue covering spores
- NA
- Same or different spores
- there are two different types of spores present
- Spore diameter
- 0.33–0.4
- Spore leaf arrangement
- the sporophylls are located on spore cones at the tips of the shoots or branches
- Spore leaf lifespan
- the sporophylls wither and fall off at the end of the growing season
- Spore leaf shape
- the spore-bearing leaves are small and scale-like
- Spore leaf teeth
- the edges of the spore-bearing leaves have tiny teeth
- Spore texture
- the spore surface has a net-like pattern on it (reticulate)
- Sporophyll ranks
- the sporophylls line up to form an X (4 ranks of leaves)
- Sterile tip of cone
- the spore cone does not have a slender, sterile tip (the whole cone produces spores)
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branch cross-section
- NA
- Branch form
- NA
- Constriction zones
-
- NA
- NA
- Form of shoot
- NA
- Horizontal stem
- the horizontal stem is on the surface of the ground
- Horizontal stem length
- 0 mm
- Horizontal stem thickness
- 0 mm
- Stem height
- 0 mm
Wetland status
Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Connecticut
- unrankable (S-rank: SU)
- Massachusetts
- historical (S-rank: SH), #NAME? (code: #NAME?)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Selaginella eclipes W.R. Buck NC
hidden spikemoss. CT, MA; western counties only. Mesic to hydric meadows and swamps, rarely on rock, habitat usually influenced by high-pH bedrock.