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

Selaginella wallacei Hieron.
Wallace's selaginella (Wallace's spikemoss)
Selaginellaceae (Spike-moss family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Selaginella wallacei
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Evergreen perennial forming loose spreading mats with branches 10-40 cm long.

Leaves:
Lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm long, abruptly attached, margin short-fringed or minutely toothed with short, 0.5 mm long bristle tips.

Cones:
Unstalked, 4-angled in cross-section, 1-7 cm long, 12 mm wide; sporophylls triangular egg-shaped, margins fringed or toothed and with abrupt bristles at the tips.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry rocks and rocky soil from the lowland and steppe to subalpine zones; frequent in S BC; E to SW AB and S to MT, ID and N CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Selaginella wallacei

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
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	25	791	2329
Slope Gradient (%)	0	47	240
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	5	178	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	0	1	5
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	B
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	197
Modal BEC Zone Class	IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BAFA(2), BG(4), CDF(18), CWH(39), ESSF(21), ICH(12), IDF(42), MH(8), MS(2), PP(36), SBS(1)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Ecological Indicator Information

A shade-intolerant, submontane to subalpine, Western North American fern-ally distributed equally in the Pacific and Cordilleran regions. Occurs on very shallow, very dry to moderately dry, nitrogenpoor soils within boreal, temperate, cool semiarid, and cool mesothermal climates. Its occurrence decreases with increasing latitude, elevation and precipitation. Commonly scattered in non-forested communities on very shallow soils on rock outcrops. Usually associated with Arctostaphylos uvaursi, Cryptogramma crispa, Rhacomitrium canescens, and lichens. Characteristic of moisture-deficient sites.

Source: Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Information applies to coastal locations only)

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.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

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

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
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: 2025-03-21 12:53:12 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.