Mediterranean Clubmoss

Selaginella denticulata

"Selaginella denticulata", or Mediterranean clubmoss, is a non-flowering plant of the spikemoss genus "Selaginella" with a wide distribution around the Northern Hemisphere.
Selaginella denticulata  Geotagged,Italy,Selaginella denticulata,Spring

Appearance

It is in the genus "Selaginella" and this creeper is characterized by having flattened stems, bearing four rows of ovate leaves which vary in size according to their position. Its specific epithet, "denticulata" comes from the Latin "dens" which means tooth, and alludes to the denticles that appear on the leaves. It was identified by the nineteenth century botanist Antoine Frédéric Spring.

It is distributed throughout the Mediterranean region except for the Cape Verde islands. It is not under threat although it is less common in the Eastern Mediterranean. It prefers dark cave environments and it is found on Gibraltar, throughout the Mediterranean region and in Portugal. In the spring it is green but as it dries out the plant is red.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionLycopodiophyta
ClassLycopodiopsida
OrderSelaginellales
FamilySelaginellaceae
GenusSelaginella
SpeciesS. denticulata
Photographed in
Italy