Selaginella kraussiana (Kunze) A.Braun

Growth Habit

Selaginella kraussiana (Kunze) A.Braun is a low-growing, mat-forming evergreen perennial with primitive fern-like leaves.

Size and Spread

It grows to only 5 cm (2.0 in) in height, and spreads through stems that root as they extend.

Native Range

Its native range includes Macaronesia, and parts of southern and eastern Africa.

Azores Nativity Controversy

Whether it was native to the Azores was a point of controversy until 2005, when spores of this species were found in 6,000-year-old fossils on Pico.

Introduction to Britain and Ireland

After being introduced to Britain in 1878, it has spread slowly, and was first recorded growing in the wild in 1917 in west Cornwall (UK) and County Leitrim (Ireland), where it often grows as a greenhouse weed.

Invasive Status in Oceania

It is listed on the New Zealand National Pest Plant Accord because it is an invasive species, and it is common across many parts of New Zealand and Australia, where it forms dense mats in shaded areas.

Ornamental Cultivation

This species is cultivated for ornamental use.

Temperature Requirements

It needs a minimum temperature of 5 °C (41 °F), so in temperate regions it is grown under glass as a houseplant.

Horticultural Awards

Both the species itself and the cultivar 'Brownii have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Known Cultivars

Other known cultivars are 'Aurea' and 'Gold Tips'.

Light Requirements

These plants grow best in a sheltered location with full or partial shade.

Potting Medium Requirements

They need potting medium that holds humidity but does not stay overly wet, and drains quickly.

Preferred pH Level

An acidic to neutral pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is preferable.

'Frosty Fern' Marketing

In winter, a cultivar marketed as Selaginella kraussiana 'Frosty Fern' is sold as a houseplant for its white-tipped foliage.

'Frosty Fern' Species Misidentification

However, this marketed plant is more often the taller-growing Selaginella martensii, rather than the shorter, creeping S. kraussiana.