Selaginella (Selaginella kraussiana) Creeping Groundcover Plant in approx. 100 mm Pot

Family: Selaginellaceae (includes spikemosses)
Genus: Selaginella (includes spikemosses — Selaginella is the sole genus of Selaginellaceae)

Botanical/Binomial Name: Selaginella kraussiana
Common Names: Krauss’ spikemoss, Krauss’ clubmoss, Green clubmoss

Botanical Characteristics: Herbaceous | Creeping Perennial | Evergreen | Spore-forming | Frost tender
Propagation: Division of clumps | Layering

Item Description:
PICK-UP ONLY
This is a pickup-only item and could be in any pot of similar dimensions to the one in the photo, which is 100 mm diameter × 110 mm deep.
Please go here for postable ones.

Plant Description:
Selaginella kraussiana is a delightful little creeping plant which loves it moist and shady. It is well-suited for terrariums and as a companion for ferns and all other shade-lovers.

The third photo is a close up of its aerial roots by which it spreads.

Best outside where the minimum temperature is 5 °C, otherwise a great indoors houseplant.

It won’t get much higher than 50-70 mm, and only then because of its tendency to bunch and grow over itself. It thus makes a great surface cover and ‘living mulch’ in pots, by keeping the soil moist and cool for the main potted plant — its presence is a useful indicator in fact, for knowing if a filtered-light and moisture-loving plant is happy where it is. If the Selaginella in the same pot shows signs of drying off then I know to up the water and/or move the pot.

Its creeping nature ensures it cascades over the side of every pot it is in, which is highly aesthetic and a big plus in my books!

S. kraussiana is small enough too, to be a companion for bonsai which also like it cool and moist, like Japanese maples.

Growing Information:
Selaginella kraussiana is a very low-care plant which requires nothing more than a moist, shady environment and occasional fertilising. It will cover any moist shady patches with ease via its creeping nature, whether in pots or on the ground. It may also pop up in nearby spaces via spores — for example, you can see Selaginella growing out of the front-right Air-Pot® cones in the main photo of the Kaempferia rotunda listing!

K. rotunda is a shady, moist-loving plant as well, which is why the two are growing so well together.

Selaginella kraussiana is also a gorgeous little thing to grow between pavers, especially those slightly above ground level. It also loves the expansion gaps in concrete paths old enough for soil to come through.

This plant is very easy to propagate by division and layering — simply break away a piece no matter how small, and lay on a moist, shady surface where it will readily take root, so long as it is kept moist. Alternatively, take advantage of its cascading and sprawling nature in pots by laying an attached, trailing length across another pot to take root. Break the ‘bridge’ between the two pots once the daughter plant becomes established.