Taxon Report

Selaginella asprella Maxon

bluish spike-moss

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Selaginella asprella, commonly known as bluish spike-moss, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Selaginellaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1600 to 2700 meters. Selaginella asprella is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Selaginella asprella Maxon
Common Name:	bluish spike-moss
Family:	Selaginellaceae
Element Code:	PPSEL01060
USDA Plants Symbol:	SEAS
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Jul	Jul
Elevation:	1600-2700 (5250-8860)
General Habitats:	Cismontane woodland, Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Granitic, Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Kern (KRN), Los Angeles (LAX), Mariposa (MPA), Riverside (RIV), San Bernardino (SBD), San Diego (SDG), Tulare (TUL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Apple Valley South (3411742), Crystal Lake (3411737), Descanso (3211675), Fairview (3511884), Juniper Hills (3411748), Lake Arrowhead (3411732), Lamont Peak (3511871), Mariposa (3711948), Mount Laguna (3211674), Mount San Antonio (3411736), Rattlesnake Canyon (3411636), San Jacinto Peak (3311676), Telegraph Peak (3411735), White Water (3311686)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Previously rejected as too common, but probably merely unthreatened. See Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 72(5):6 (1920) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 4 February 2025].