Lycophytes: Selaginellales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Bryodesma tortipilum
FAMILY
Selaginellaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Bryodesma from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Selaginella tortipila
FAMILY
Selaginellaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 2 (1993)
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 004-01-003:
Selaginella tortipila FAMILY Selaginellaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Ferns of the Southeastern States (Small, 1938)
Selaginella tortipila
COMMON NAME:
Twisted-hair Spikemoss
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm220315_6075
March Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
The small, tightly overlapping, linear leaves have apical, twisted bristles, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
JK Marlow s070920_g
September Pickens County SC
Poe Creek State Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm141030_480
October Greenville County SC
Wildcat Falls Wayside Park
)
JK Marlow jkm141030_482
October Greenville County SC
Wildcat Falls Wayside Park
Common name derived from the twisted bristle which terminates each tiny leaf, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmstortipilla_br1
Month Unknown
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmstortipilla_br3
Month Unknown
A mat-forming species superficially resembling a large moss, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Bryodesma tortipilum
FAMILY
Selaginellaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Selaginella tortipila
FAMILY
Selaginellaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 2
Selaginella tortipila
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 004-01-003:
Selaginella tortipila
FAMILY
Selaginellaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Ferns of the Southeastern States (Small, 1938)
Selaginella tortipila
1357
Fern/Fern ally
Perennial
Habitat: rock outcrops, mostly at high elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Mountains, rare in Piedmont
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple - scale-like
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia (Snyder & Bruce, 1986) p230
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p111
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p095
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p437
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".