Rainbow Moss

What a beauty this is! It's also one of the most primitive plants still in existence, one of the "Spike Mosses", or Lycopods, which pre-date ferns and tree ferns. This is Selaginella uncinata, also known as a "Rainbow Fern" or "peacock moss", even though it's not a fern or a true moss at all. These plants are popular with vivarium keepers but recently I've seen a lot of different Selaginellas offered as house plants. I was fortunate to find this gorgeous specimen at a nearby Wal-Mart, of all places, where it has been repeatedly marked down and down as the Wal-Mart Garden Centers are having to clear out in order to set up for Christmas. In mid-September.
Anyway, I got it for $3.00. It's in a 12-inch pot, and is probably close to six feet long. The coloration, which gives it the common name, is due to exposure to bright sunlight. In shadier conditions, it's bluish-green, so after I have to bring it inside once cool weather arrives, it will loose the pinks and reds and purples and golds seen here. Selaginellas are also known as "Resurrection Plants" because they can withstand severe droughts by drying up completely, turning into a crispy brown ball, then revive and start greening up and growing again once water is made available! This no doubt has helped this group of ancient plants withstand horrendous natural disasters that resulted in major life extinction events over Earth's history.

pitbulllady