Peacock “Fern,” Peacock “Moss,” Peacock Spikemoss, Blue Spikemoss

Selaginella uncinata (Desvaux ex Poiret) Spring

Bull. Acad. Roy. Sci. Bruxelles. 10: 141. 1843.

sell-aj-eh-NEL-ah un-seh-NAY-nah

Selaginellaceae

Explanation of name: Generic name from Selago, an ancient name for Lycopodium, a genus resembling Selaginella, and Latin, -ella, diminutive suffix (FNA).   Uncinata means hooked or clawed.

Natural range:  China (FNA)

Recognition:  Small, creeping-sprawling fernlike plant with flattened branches bearing tiny 1-veined lance-ovate leaves characterized by a striking iridescent blue-green coloration

Landscape uses: Baskets, containers, or in the ground in a protected, shaded, moist situation.  Treated like a fern. A novelty for its extreme foliage coloration. Escaped from cultivation (FNA, WU2)

Internet sources: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501242

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/groundcover/selaginella_uncinata.html