Kingdom Plantae Class Isoetopsida Family Selaginellaceae Rank Species | Division Lycopodiophyta Order Selaginellales Genus Selaginella | |
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Similar Selaginella cinerascens, Selaginella eremophila, Selaginella bigelovii, Selaginella pulcherrima, Selaginella wallacei | ||
Selaginella tortipila, the twistedhair spikemoss or kinky-hair spike-moss, is a species of clubmoss, a primitive group of plants. It is native to the Southeastern United States where it is found in a small area in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont. It is found on granite or sandstone rock outcrop communities, often at high elevation.
Selaginella tortipila is a rather distinct species of spikemoss, and likely has no close relatives in the North American flora. It has been placed in the Bryodesma group, along with Selaginella rupestris.
References
Selaginella tortipila Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA