E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Selaginella scopulorum Maxon
cliff selaginella
Selaginellaceae (Spike-moss family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #88011)

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Distribution of Selaginella scopulorum
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Species Information

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General:
Evergreen perennial forming dense flat circular mats 5-20 cm across, 1-3 cm tall.
Leaves:
Lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm long, 0.4-0.7 mm wide, those on the upper side of stem slightly smaller than those on the lower side, with short-fringed margins and whitish, transparent to opaque, 1-1.5 mm long bristle tips.
Cones:
Unstalked, 4-angled in cross-section, 5-30 mm long, 1-2 mm wide; sporophylls strongly keeled, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins short fringed at the bases, lacking fringing hairs in the upper part and with short bristles at the tips.
Notes:
Previously treated as a variety or subspecies of S. densa.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry to moist rocks and shallow soil in open places in the montane to alpine zones; infrequent throughout BC; E to AB, S to TX, NM, AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Selaginella scopulorum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 2080 2156 2240
Slope Gradient (%) 7 35 55
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		130 187 215
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		2 2 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 3
Modal BEC Zone Class
 IMA
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(1), IMA(2)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Selaginella densa var. scopulorum (Maxon) R. Tryon

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Selaginellaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Selaginella scopulorum
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-02-16 5:54:39 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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