# Wallace's spikemoss (*Selaginella wallacei*) Wallace's spikemoss is a special plant that looks like a tiny green carpet! It loves to grow in moist, shady places and has unique leaves that can curl up when it's dry. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Rare - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Rainforests ![Wallace's spikemoss](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Selaginellawallacei.jpg&width=800) Photo: pellaea, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Selaginellawallacei.jpg) ## Appearance The Wallace's spikemoss is a small, mat-forming plant with delicate, scale-like leaves that tightly overlap along its creeping stems. Its vibrant green foliage often displays reddish or brownish tinges, creating a dense, carpet-like appearance on rocks or soil. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Lycopodiopsida - **Order:** Selaginellales - **Family:** Selaginellaceae - **Genus:** Selaginella ## Interesting facts - Instead of flowers and seeds, Wallace's spikemoss reproduces using tiny, dust-like spores! - Its scientific name honors Alfred Russel Wallace, who co-discovered evolution! - Some ancient relatives of spikemosses grew into giant trees, like prehistoric forests! - This amazing plant is not a moss at all, but a "lycophyte," an ancient plant group! ## Special abilities - **Resurrection Power:** Wallace's spikemoss can dry out completely and appear dead, then unfurl and become green again when water returns, helping it survive droughts. - **Ancient Survivor:** It has tiny spore-producing structures at stem tips, which release dust-like spores into the wind to create new plants, helping it reproduce. - **Ground Hugger:** Wallace's spikemoss can form dense, mat-like cushions that spread across surfaces, helping it cover ground and compete with other small plants. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-15 cm - **Spread:** 10-30 cm - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Mule Deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/mule-deer) (*Odocoileus hemionus*) — provides a minor food source for browsing deer - **Shelter:** California Ground Beetle (*Pterostichus californicus*) — provides microhabitat for small ground insects - **Depends on:** [Douglas Fir](https://www.snappit.app/explore/douglas-fir) (*Pseudotsuga menziesii*) — grows in the shaded understory of conifer forests ## Traits - [Nonvascular](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nonvascular): This trait characterizes plants lacking specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients. - [Grass-Like](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grass-like): Grass-like plants are herbaceous plants that visually resemble true grasses, typically having long, narrow leaves. - [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight. - [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores. - [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years. - [Rainforest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rainforest): This habitat trait refers to species found in tropical rainforests, characterized by high annual rainfall, high biodiversity, and dense tree cover. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch plants without asking an adult first. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Wallace's spikemoss? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Wallace's spikemoss? 5-15 cm ### How wide does Wallace's spikemoss spread? 10-30 cm ### Is Wallace's spikemoss edible? No ### Is Wallace's spikemoss toxic? None ### What is Wallace's spikemoss's lifecycle? Perennial ### Where is Wallace's spikemoss usually found? Rainforests ## Where to spot - [Santiam State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/santiam-state-forest) — Oregon, US · Forest - [White Lake Grasslands Protected Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/white-lake-grasslands-protected-area) — British Columbia, CA · Nature Reserve - [Francis Point Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/francis-point-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Apodaca Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/apodaca-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park [View all places to see Wallace's spikemoss](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/wallaces-spikemoss) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Wallace's spikemoss: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wallaces-spikemoss)