Selaginella oregana
Encyclopedia
Selaginella oregana is a species of spikemoss known by the common name Oregon spikemoss. It is native to the Pacific Coast of western North America, where it can be found from British Columbia
to northern California
. It grows in mossy, shady coastal forests. It is often epiphytic
, growing attached to tree branches, its stems hanging in sheets of green, mosslike streamers. Trees commonly occupied by the spikemoss include bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), black cottonwood
(Populus trichocarpa), and red alder (Alnus rubra). It also grows on the ground and on rocks in carpetlike mats. This lycophyte
has creeping or hanging stems up to about 60 centimeters long, usually with forking branches. They curl as they dry. The stems are radially symmetric, with spirals of lance-shaped leaves each measuring 2 or 3 millimeters in length and tipped with a tiny, rigid bristle. The strobili
containing the reproductive structures are up to 6 centimeters long and often occur in pairs.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to northern California
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...
. It grows in mossy, shady coastal forests. It is often epiphytic
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
, growing attached to tree branches, its stems hanging in sheets of green, mosslike streamers. Trees commonly occupied by the spikemoss include bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), black cottonwood
Populus trichocarpa
Populus trichocarpa is a deciduous broadleaf tree species native to western North America. It is used for timber, and is notable as a model organism in plant biology. Its full genome sequence was published in 2006...
(Populus trichocarpa), and red alder (Alnus rubra). It also grows on the ground and on rocks in carpetlike mats. 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...
has creeping or hanging stems up to about 60 centimeters long, usually with forking branches. They curl as they dry. The stems are radially symmetric, with spirals of lance-shaped leaves each measuring 2 or 3 millimeters in length and tipped with a tiny, rigid bristle. The strobili
Strobilus
A strobilus is a structure present on many land plant species consisting of sporangia-bearing structures densely aggregated along a stem. Strobili are often called cones, but many botanists restrict the use of the term cone to the woody seed strobili of conifers...
containing the reproductive structures are up to 6 centimeters long and often occur in pairs.