Bill's Botanical Forays

Despite its moniker, Meadow Spikemoss (Selaginella apoda (L.) Spring) is not a moss at all. Although superficially it resembles moss and as a result is easily overlooked, it is a vascular plant distantly related to ferns. As far as the “meadow” part of its name goes,” I spotted these guys below Scout Camp 1 on the banks of the Patuxent River, nowhere near a meadow.

 

I have been on the lookout for this plant from the first day that I began this project. I spotted several clumps along the Patuxent. The bank where I found them is occasionally flooded and is damp most of the year.

 

 

The plants were just starting to come out, and previous year’s growth were visible. There were no sporophylls were present.  I will have to wait until later in the year to look for those.