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Selaginella densa
Also called Dense Clubmoss, Mountain Spike Moss, Small Clubmoss, Prairie Spikemoss, Compact Spikemoss, Dense Spikemoss, Prairie Selaginella
Lesser spikemoss is a low, mat-forming lycophyte (not a true moss or flowering plant) native to western North America, common on dry prairies and rocky outcrops. It is grown as a small ground cover in dry, sunny spots with excellent drainage.
Selaginella densa is a species of spikemoss known by the common names lesser spikemoss, prairie spikemoss, and Rocky Mountains spikemoss. It is native to western North America, where it can be found from Alaska to Ontario, the Dakotas, Texas and far northern California.
It grows in many types of habitat, from grassland to the alpine climates of high mountains, in rocky and sandy areas. It is a dominant plant in many types of prairie on the Great Plains, especially shortgrass prairie, where it grows alongside dominant grasses. It grows in windy, exposed, snow-free rock outcrops on mountain peaks in several ranges, including the Cascade Range and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is most common on dry soils in open areas, tolerating desiccation relatively easily.
Meadow spikemoss · Selaginella bryopteris · Krauss's Clubmoss · Flower of stone · Gemmiferous Spikemoss · Lesser Clubmoss · Blue spikemoss · Willdenow's spikemoss · Spikemoss
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Selaginella densa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
