Selaginella asprella
Encyclopedia
Selaginella asprella is a species of spikemoss known by the common name bluish spikemoss. It is native to California
and Baja California
, where it has a disjunct distribution
, occurring in the Klamath Mountains
and mountain ranges several hundred miles to the south. It grows in rocky mountainous habitat, on cliffs of limestone
rock substrate, and on forest ridges. This lycophyte
grows in flat mats with many short, forking stems twisted together. The stems fragment easily, especially as they dry. The lance-shaped green leaves are up to 5 or 6 millimeters long, including the soft bristles at their tips. The leaves are alike in shape and borne in squarish whorls of four about the stem. They are flattened to the stem.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it has a disjunct distribution
Disjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
, occurring in the Klamath Mountains
Klamath Mountains
The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...
and mountain ranges several hundred miles to the south. It grows in rocky mountainous habitat, on cliffs of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rock substrate, and on forest ridges. This lycophyte
Lycopodiophyta
The Division Lycopodiophyta is a tracheophyte subdivision of the Kingdom Plantae. It is the oldest extant vascular plant division at around 410 million years old, and includes some of the most "primitive" extant species...
grows in flat mats with many short, forking stems twisted together. The stems fragment easily, especially as they dry. The lance-shaped green leaves are up to 5 or 6 millimeters long, including the soft bristles at their tips. The leaves are alike in shape and borne in squarish whorls of four about the stem. They are flattened to the stem.