Pteridophyta: Selaginellales

Selaginellaceae - Spikemosses

Crouch, N.R., Klopper, R.R., Burrows, J.E. & Burrows, S.M. (2011) Ferns of Southern Africa, A comprehensive guide Struik Nature

Jacobsen, W.B.G. (1983) The Ferns and Fern Allies of Southern Africa. Butterworths, Durban and Pretoria.

Roux, J.P. (2001) Conspectus of Southern African Pteridophyta. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report 13

Schelpe, E.A.C.L.E. (1970) Pteridophyta Flora Zambesiaca

Description of the family

Terrestrial or epiphytic herbs, annual or perennial. Stems erect or creeping and mat forming, alternate or dichotomously branched, glabrous or pubescent; roots arising basally or throughout the lenght of the stem, mainly from the branch axils. Leaves ligulate, thin, numerous, small, simple with an unbranched central vein, glabrous or hairy, either spirally arranged and ± similar in shape and size or dimorphic and 4-ranked, the lower (lateral leaves) patent, the upper (median leaves) appressed and pointing forwards. Sporangia dehiscent with 2 valves, borne singly in the axils of the leaves, sporophylls arranged in ± compact terminal cones, heterosporous.

Worldwide: 1 genus and ± 700 species, cosmopolitan.

Mozambique: 1 genus and 9 taxa.

Selaginella goudotiana var. abyssinica

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Selaginella P. Beauv.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Selaginellaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Selaginellaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Selaginellaceae
Flora of Malawi: Selaginellaceae
Flora of Zambia: Selaginellaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Selaginellaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Selaginellaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Selaginellaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Selaginellaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Selaginellaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Selaginellaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Selaginellaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Selaginellaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Selaginellaceae
Wikipedia: Selaginellaceae
Plants of the World Online: Selaginellaceae
Tropicos: Selaginellaceae



Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave 2007-24

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2024). Flora of Mozambique: Family page: Selaginellaceae.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=208, retrieved 19 March 2024

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