Selaginella tortipila
A. Braun
Twisted-hair Spikemoss
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Dylan Benoit, CC BY-NC 4.0
Dylan Benoit, CC BY-NC 4.0
Alan Weakley, CC0 1.0
Alan Weakley, CC0 1.0
Jarrod Whiteman, CC BY-NC 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135888
Element CodePPSEL01170
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumLycophyta
ClassIsoetopsida
OrderSelaginellales
FamilySelaginellaceae
GenusSelaginella
Synonyms
Bryodesma tortipilum(A. Braun) Soják
Other Common Names
twistedhair spikemoss (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (1993, vol. 2) and the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016) recognize the family Selaginellaceae with a single genus, Selaginella. Attempts to recognize subgenera (e.g., six in Zhou and Zhang 2015, seven in Weststrand and Korall 2016) lack consistency, and the elevation of subgenera to nineteen genera in Zhou and Zhang (2023) has mixed acceptance. While Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2025) treat their fifteen taxa in four genera, Valdespino et al. (2024) provide justification to conserve Selaginellaceae in a single genus with approximately 750 taxa, which the World Flora Online (2025) accepts, following the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group.
Conservation Status
Review Date2002-09-13
Change Date1988-01-06
Edition Date2002-09-13
Edition AuthorsHam, V.
Rank Reasons
Selaginella tortipila is epipetric upon seasonally moist granite or sandstone rocks and cliffs, and sometimes terrestrial in acidic soil. Reported frequent in the piedmont and mountains of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee (Lellinger 1985).
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | SNR | Yes |
| South Carolina | S2 | Yes |
| North Carolina | S3 | Yes |
| Georgia | S2 | Yes |
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (6)
North Carolina (6)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Dobson Knob | Pisgah National Forest | 6,111 |
| Harper Creek | Pisgah National Forest | 7,325 |
| Linville Gorge Addition | Pisgah National Forest | 2,809 |
| Lost Cove | Pisgah National Forest | 5,944 |
| Overflow Creek | Nantahala National Forest | 3,379 |
| Wilson Creek | Pisgah National Forest | 4,863 |
References (11)
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp.
- Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
- Lellinger, D.B. 1985. A field manual of the ferns and fern-allies of the U.S. and Canada. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. 389 pp.
- Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
- Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp.
- Valdespino, I.A., Korall, P., Weststrand, S., López, C.A., Tang, J.Y., Shalimov, A., and X.C. Zhang. 2024. Rebuttal to “(2943) Proposal to conserve <i>Selaginella</i>, nom. cons.,(Selaginellaceae) with a conserved type”: An unwarranted and disruptive idea. Taxon 73(2): 573-585.
- Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2025. Flora of the southeastern United States Web App. Edition of February 18, 2025. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Online. Available: https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu (accessed 2025).
- Weststrand, S., and P. Korall. 2016. A subgeneric classification of <i>Selaginella</i> (Selaginellaceae). American Journal of Botany 103(12): 2160-2169.
- World Flora Online (WFO). 2025. Selaginellaceae Willk. Online. Available: <a href="http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-7000000562">http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-7000000562</a>. Accessed on 24 April 2025.
- Zhou, X.M., and L.B. Zhang. 2015. A classification of <i>Selaginella</i> (Selaginellaceae) based on molecular (chloroplast and nuclear), macromorphological, and spore features. Taxon 64(6): 1117-1140.
- Zhou, X.M. and L.B. Zhang. 2023. Phylogeny, character evolution, and classification of Selaginellaceae (lycophytes). Plant Diversity 45(6): 630-684.