26-01-2013, 10:06 AM
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Registered User
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Jan 2013
Posts: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kay Lancaster
On Thu, 24 Jan 2013 19:56:04 +0000, Lee Mac wrote:
Any advice on what species it is (so that I can order a batch of them in
the spring) would be gratefully received.
Looks like you might have Selaginella kraussiana, golden spikemoss,
Krauss's spikemoss, African Clubmoss. It's native to the Canaries, Azores and
parts of Africa. It's not a true moss, but a relic of the oldest extant
vascular plant division, the Lycophyta. They're spore bearing, like mosses,
but they have microphylls, leaves with a single vascular trace, unlike
all the other vascular plants.
If you've been to the Museum of Natural History in London, you may have
noticed some strikingly patterned columns -- some of them are copies
of the patterns of giant Lycophyte trunks, like Lepidodendron, of the
Carboniferous.
Anyhow, Selaginellas are cool plants, imo. S. kraussiana is probably the
easiest for most people to grow, but you might try some different
species, too. My favorite goes by the common name "peacock fern" or
"rainbow moss", though it's no more a fern than a moss: S. uncinata.
The foliage is iridescent.
Kay |
Good morning Kay
Thank you for your detailed response, it is good to now have a name to put to the plant, it is much appreciated. I'll take a look at your suggested alternative as well before ordering a batch in the spring.
Thanks again
Lee
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