Selaginella

Family. Selaginellaceae.

Origin. South Africa.

Description. Selaginella is a large genus of over 700 low, evergreen, perennial plants. The stems are many times branched, creeping, less often erect, densely covered with very small leaves - green or bluish-green scales. On the underside of the branches there are sporangia. The bushes resemble miniature cypress in appearance. Creeping shoots easily take root when in contact with the substrate. Currently, there are varieties with white or yellow branch tips.

Height. Fern grows quite slowly and reaches a maximum height of 30 cm.

Care at home

How to care 

Selaginella requires high air humidity and abundant watering, as well as a certain temperature regime. Too long stems can be cut in the spring. Remove weak and dead branches.

Soil 

Peat-based substrate with the addition of garden soil, leaf humus and small pieces of charcoal. To improve drainage, coarse river sand is added. 

Reproduction

It is very easily propagated vegetatively - by cuttings 5 ​​- 8 cm long, which are rooted under a cover of glass or transparent plastic in a damp mixture of peat and sand. By division during transplantation. Disputes, however, are a very lengthy process.

Watering 

Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the year. Excess moisture from the pan should be drained. In warmer months, you can bathe plants in a shower with warm water. 

Transplant 

Replanting is carried out in the spring, every 2 - 3 years, as it grows or if it is necessary to change the soil. After transplantation, do not fertilize for 2 months. 

When it blooms 

Doesn't bloom.

Air humidity 

High. Mist the shoots and leaves, use a room humidifier, or place the pot on a tray with damp pebbles. Surround the pot with a layer of damp sphagnum. Do not expose Selaginella to cold drafts.

Temperature

Representatives of the genus are sensitive to sudden temperature changes and do not like either strong summer heat or winter coolness. The plant is kept at room temperature from 18 to 24° C all year round.

Diseases and pests 

With insufficient nutrients in the soil, selaginella stops development. The leaves curl and turn brown when there is insufficient air humidity. Leaves fall off when the soil becomes dry for a long time.

Pests rarely attack, sometimes aphids and spider mites appear.

Lighting

Tolerates a very wide range of illumination - from a brightly lit location without direct sunlight, to complete shade. Contact with direct rays causes burns. 

Feeding

Fertilizing can be carried out throughout the year, 2 times a month with balanced water-soluble fertilizers in half concentration. 

Purpose

Selaginella will look extremely attractive in miniature gardens and is often used as a groundcover species. Varieties with creeping stems are suitable for growing as ampelous plants in hanging baskets. It is excellent for greening the most shaded corners of the house.

Note

With proper care will live for many years in indoor conditions. 

Varieties:

Selaginella lepidophylla

Low-growing, attractive herbaceous plants with creeping stems that take root when in contact with the ground. The plant reaches a height of 7.5 cm, and the width of the shoots is 15 cm. The shoots are branched, flat, covered with scaly bluish-green or dark green leaves. When drought sets in, the tips of the stems begin to curl, and soon the entire plant turns into a dense ball, leaving only the roots outside. At the slightest contact with moisture, the bush can open in a few minutes. 

Selaginella martensii

A compact plant, not exceeding 30 cm in height. The bush has many branched stems covered with tight-fitting green, small scale-like leaves.

There is an interesting variegated variety of the plant with white tips of the shoots, reminiscent of spruce branches dusted with frost. 

Selaginella selaginoides

An interesting plant with low, erect shoots covered with thin, triangular green or brownish, sometimes pink, triangular leaves. The stems are abundantly branched at the base and resemble spikelets. 

Selaginella apoda

Low-growing, ground cover, evergreen herbaceous plants with creeping, abundantly branching shoots. The plant has emerald, oblong-lanceolate leaves that tightly cover the stems. 

Selaginella kraussiana

A miniature ground cover plant with creeping, abundantly branched shoots that take root upon contact with the ground. The height of the plants does not exceed 15 cm. The leaves are green, triangular, glossy, with dense scales adjacent to the stems. There are varieties with light green, almost yellow leaves. 

Selaginella helvetica

Miniature evergreens with creeping, branched stems. They do not exceed 5 - 15 cm in height. The stems are densely covered with green, triangular leaves with a glossy surface. An interesting feature of the plant is that during periods of drought the stems acquire yellowish, pink or light brown shades. With increasing humidity and decreasing temperature, the branches are able to regain their bright green color.