Selaginella kraussiana

Krauss' spikemoss

Family: Selaginellaceae · Type: Spikemoss · Not Native

Krauss' spikemoss is a naturalized spikemoss found in the northern California Coast bioregion near Arcata in Humboldt County, growing in moist forest understories and along paths at elevations from sea level to 50 meters. This distinctive plant forms a sprawling, loose green mat with stems elevated on prominent rhizophores and subtle swellings at branching points. Growing with delicate, intricate structure, its leaves are arranged in four distinct ranks, with lateral leaves positioned nearly perpendicular to the stem. Its compact form creates a distinctive ground cover, with branches spreading to create a soft, textured carpet across forest floors. Small solitary cones appear laterally on branches, ranging from 2 to 25 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Moist forest understories, along paths

Elevation: 0-50 m

Bioregions: NCo (vicinity of Arcata, Humboldt Co.)

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