Selaginella opaca

Warb.

Spikemoss fern

SelaginellaceaeLeavesPotential hazards — see below

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Conveyor Belt

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Miami University Turrell Herbarium - Vascular Plants (MU-)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fronds, Leaves, Vegetable, Caution

The leaves and fronds are cooked and used as a vegetable.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in primary and old secondary forests from mid to high mountain areas.

Asia, India, Indonesia*, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A fern. It grows in soil. The rhizome is long and creeping. It is irregularly branched. The stalk is rusty-yellow. The fronds are 10 cm long and irregularly twice divided.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are used as medicine.

Notes

There are about 700 Selaginella species. They are mostly in the humid tropics and subtropics.

Names & Synonyms

Pakis lumut, Pulalata, Rane

References (4)

Croft, J., 1982, Ferns and Man in New Guinea
Powell, J.M., Ethnobotany. In Paijmans, K., 1976, New Guinea Vegetation. Australian National University Press. p 111
Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 880
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew