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• Selaginella
• Selaginella selaginoides

Selaginella selaginoides — northern spikemoss

Facts

Northern spikemoss, a widespread, circumpolar species, sneaks into New England in the northern counties of Maine. It inhabits fens, bogs and wet areas. This species is unique among clubmosses in having active megaspore dispersal, described as 'compression and slingshot ejection.'

Habitat

Fens (calcium-rich wetlands), floodplain (river or stream floodplains), forests

Characteristics

• Clonal plantlets

  Gemma arrangement

  NA

  Gemma shape

  NA

  Gemma width

  0 mm

• Leaves

  Leaf differences

  the vegetative leaves within a node are all similar in size and shape

  Leaf orientation

  • the vegetative leaves are pressed against the stem
  • the vegetative leaves spread slightly away from the stem, at a steep angle

  Leaf outline

  • the vegetative leaves are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
  • the vegetative leaves are roughly triangular, widest at the base where the leaf joins the stem

  Leaf ranks

  NA

  Leaf shape

  the vegetative leaves are short and scale-like

  Pores on leaves

  there are pores, but only on the underside of the vegetative leaves

  Teeth on leaf edges

  the edges of the vegetative leaves have tiny teeth

• Place

  Habitat

  wetlands

  New England state

  Maine

  Specific habitat

  • fens (calcium-rich wetlands)
  • forests
  • river or stream floodplains

• 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

  Number of cones

  1

  Quillwort itssue covering spores

  NA

  Same or different spores

  there are two different types of spores present

  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 orientation

  the sporophylls slant out from the axis at an angle of 45–90 degrees

  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

  Sporophyll ranks

  the sporophylls come off the cone at many different angles (5 or more ranks)

  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

  the plant has an upright stem, but no branches

  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

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae