Status: Native
Synonyms:
Selaginella fendleri Hieronymus (non Baker)
Selaginella underwoodii looks alot like moss growing over a rock. The best clue to the true identity of Selaginella are the sporangia in the leaf axils of the fertile fronds. Selaginella underwoodii also has bristles prominently visible at the ends of the leaves. In addition, the lamina of a moss leaf is usually one cell thick while the leaf of Selaginella is many cells thick.
Please click on an image for a larger file.
Selaginella underwoodii, photo Russ Kleinman & the Nichols Family, Cliff Dwellings National Monument, Sept. 28, 2007
Selaginella underwoodii, kidney-shaped sporangia in leaf axils (note bristles), photo Russ Kleinman & Richard Felger, Black Range, Railroad Canyon, Jan. 23, 2008
Selaginella underwoodii, cross section of leaf, photo Russ Kleinman & Richard Felger, Black Range, Railroad Canyon, Jan. 23, 2008
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