Selaginella bigelovii

Bigelow's moss fern

Family: Selaginellaceae · Type: Spikemoss · Native

Bigelow's moss fern is a California native spikemoss found in southern Northwestern California, southern Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, central and southwestern California, and the southwestern edge of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts in open sites and rock outcrops at elevations below 2,000 meters. Its distinctive green shoots age from green to tan and then gray, forming a series of erect, determinate growth structures from a rhizome. Growing with delicate linear to narrowly lanceolate leaves 1.5 to 2.7 millimeters long with hairy bases and rigid awns up to 0.7 millimeters, this spikemoss develops small cone-like structures 0.4 to 1.5 centimeters in length. The plant's leaves have a characteristic appearance with fine, toothed awns and a subtle base hairiness that distinguishes it from other ground-covering species. Its compact growth form and ability to thrive in diverse rocky and open habitats make it a resilient component of California's varied landscapes.

Habitat: Open sites, mineral soil on rock outcrops, amid shrubs

Elevation: < 2000 m

Bioregions: s NW, s SN, SnJV, CW, SW, sw edge DMoj, DSon

California counties: Tulare, Ventura, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Monterey, Orange, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Merced, Alameda, Marin, Calaveras, Humboldt, Mariposa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.