Selaginella ciliaris is a plant in the family Selaginellaceae which is native to areas from India and Nepal eastwards to China and Taiwan, and south to northern Australia.
Description
This is a tiny, low growing herbaceous plant that forms small tufts at the bases of fallen trees and boulders.[4] The creeping stem is up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long and produces roots along its length. It has ascending branches up to 5 cm (2.0 in) long.[5][6] The leaves are very small, up to 2 mm (0.08 in) in length.[5][6] The sporangia are borne in the upper leaf axils.[4]
Taxonomy
The family Selaginellaceae is considered to be primitive and is often referred to as a "fern ally".[4] This species has been described numerous times – the first description was published in 1789 by the Swedish botanist Anders Jahan Retzius who gave it the name Lycopodium ciliare.[2][3] Several other 19th century botanists, including Robert Brown and Carl Ernst Otto Kuntze, also published this species under various binomial combinations.[3] The currently accepted name, Selaginella ciliaris, was provided by Antoine Frédéric Spring and published in 1843.[2][3]
Distribution and habitat
Plants of the World Online gives the native distribution of this plant as follows: Andaman Islands, Assam, Bangladesh, Caroline Islands, China South-Central, China Southeast, East Himalaya, Hainan, India, Java, Malaya, Maluku, Marianas, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Nicobar Islands, Northern Territory, Philippines, Queensland, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, West Himalaya and Western Australia.[3]
