Selaginella denticulata

Non-flowering vascular plant of the Selaginellaceae family, related to clubmosses and ferns, this selaginella is a perennial ground-covering plant native to the Mediterranean basin, found from Iberia and the Maghreb to the Adriatic coasts and the islands of the eastern Mediterranean. It naturally grows in the crevices of shaded rocks, moist banks, old walls, and cool undergrowth, from sea level up to about 1,000 meters in southern regions.

It forms dense and tight mats, creeping, barely 5 to 10 cm high. The flattened, finely branched stems bear small scaly, oval-lanceolate leaves, finely toothed at the edges — this characteristic gives it its specific epithet. The foliage is a shiny, glossy green, sometimes tinged with slightly bluish or silvery hues depending on the ambient humidity and exposure.

Without flowers or fruit in the strict sense, it reproduces by spores carried in terminal cones called strobili, discreet but visible upon examination. It is noted for its persistent foliage and its ability to quickly turn green again after drought.

In cultivation, it requires a shaded to semi-shaded location, a cool, well-drained but never dried-out soil, slightly acidic to neutral. It is perfectly suited to rock wall crevices in cool situations, shaded crevices, and fern compositions in a temperate Mediterranean garden. It withstands moderate frosts but suffers from prolonged cold and wet winters.