Oregon Spikemoss

selaginella oregana

Oregon Spikemoss (Selaginella oregana) is a fascinating, moss-like vascular plant that drapes the moist forests of the Pacific Northwest in lush, green curtains. Unlike true mosses, this unique lycophyte possesses a primitive vascular system to transport water and nutrients, making it an evolutionary bridge between lower plants and ferns. It thrives primarily as an epiphyte, hanging in soft, cascading mats from the branches of deciduous trees, particularly bigleaf maples, in humid coastal rainforests. In these misty habitats, Oregon Spikemoss plays a vital ecological role by intercepting rainfall, maintaining high local humidity, and providing microhabitats for canopy-dwelling invertebrates. Its ability to survive dry spells by entering a dormant state and quickly reviving with the rain highlights its remarkable resilience. Spotting this delicate, pendulous plant dangling from moss-draped branches is a quintessential experience of the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

Habitat: Found hanging from tree branches or carpeting wet rocks in the mossy, temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.

Appearance

Oregon Spikemoss forms long, pendulous, light-green to yellow-green mats of slender, dichotomously branching stems that can reach up to 90 centimeters in length. The stems are densely covered in tiny, overlapping, scale-like leaves (microphylls) that are linear-lanceolate, soft, and lack a prominent spine at the tip. During the reproductive phase, it develops inconspicuous, four-sided, spore-bearing cones called strobili at the tips of its branches, which blend seamlessly with the foliage.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassLycopodiopsidaOrderSelaginellalesFamilySelaginellaceaeGenusSelaginella

Oregon Spikemoss

Interesting facts

Despite its mossy appearance and name, Oregon Spikemoss is a vascular lycophyte, placing it closer on the evolutionary tree to ferns than to actual mosses.

It is one of the few spikemosses in temperate regions that has adapted to a completely epiphytic lifestyle, living entirely off the ground on tree limbs.

The species is highly sensitive to humidity levels; in dry summer conditions, its soft branches can look limp and dry, but they spring back to vibrant life with the first rain.