Species

Selaginella kraussiana

Common Name(s)

Selaginella

Authority

Selaginella kraussiana (Kunze) A. Braun

Family

Selaginellaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

SELKRA

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Lycophytes (clubmosses, selaginella, quillworts)

Habitat

Terrestrial. A lowland plant of sites with moderate fertility. Occurs mainly in damp, shaded sites eg tall forest, low forest, scrub, forest margins and streambanks.

Features

Small, carpet-forming groundcover. Roots long, fine. Stems creeping, slender, irregularly branched, rooting at nodes, forming loose mat. Leaves in rows, 2-4 mm. Spore cones rounded, 10 mm long.

Similar Taxa

Superficially similar to many native mosses and leafy liverworts. It is actually a fern-ally that bears small cones underneath the leaves.

Flowering

N/A

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Year Naturalised

1919

Origin

C&S Africa

Reason For Introduction

Ornamental.

Life Cycle Comments

Perennial. The plant has an eternal life span as it just keeps growing. Spores are thought to be viable for more than a year (Carol West, pers. comm.). Reproduces sexually by releasing spores. Also reproduces vegetatively by creeping stems with adventitious roots. Spores are produced, in cones on the undersides of the leaves.

Spores are dispersed by wind, boots, feet, stock and machinery. Stem fragments can be dispersed by soil and water movement as well as human activities.

Tolerances

The plant is intolerant to drought and tolerant to shade and poor drainage. Resprouts after physical damage.

CONTROL TECHNIQUES
Technique 1:

If the area is small then pull out plant and dispose of vegetative material at a refuse transfer station, burn or bury deeply. It is recommended to remove the top 2 or 3 cm of soil beneath the plant so that you do not leave any spores behind.

Technique 2:

Spray with 100ml glyphosate + 2g metsulfuron-methyl 600g/kg + 10 ml penetrant /10L. Follow up 3-monthly until site clear (this may need 4 follow up treatments). 

Technique 3:

Spray with glyphosate (20ml/L) and follow up as with Technique 2 above. 

This page last updated on 30 Mar 2013