 To most people, Wallace's Selaginella (Selaginella wallecei) looks like a moss. In reality, it is more closely related to ferns than it is to mosses, and, like ferns, produces spores directly from the mature plant. Like many of our local mosses that grow on dry rock outcrops it has an amazing capacity for surviving being dried out. While the species isn't very well known, people may know Selaginella lepidophylla , or Resurrection plant, which is sometimes sold in nurseries as a curiosity - coming to life quickly after watering from a seemingly dead plant. While Wallace's Selaginella isn't as showy as the Resurrection Plant, its ability to turn green and start growing after being baked dry by the summer is just as remarkable. For a clip of a "resurrecting" Selaginella go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMiQpjRQZP4
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Where do you suppose Cladonia macilenta got it's English name? The genus name, Cladonia, is Greek for "club-like". At this time of year the bright red apothecia (the fruiting bodies) provide a counter point to all the lush greens that we are surrounded with. This miniature Dr. Seuss forest was growing on a windfall Douglas-fir log. They are relatively common on stumps, fenceposts and bark.
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AuthorsTwo biologists on a beautiful property armed with cameras, smart phones and a marginal knowledge of websites took up the challenge of documenting one species a day on that property. Join along! Posts and photographs by Leah Ramsay and David Fraser (unless otherwise stated); started January 1, 2014. Categories
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