Selaginella ornata (Hook. & Grev.) Spring

Plants terrestrial, evergreen, creeping, upper part ascending, 20-40 cm. Rhizophores at intervals throughout length of creeping stem and branches, borne on ventral side in axils of branches. Main stems branched from near base upward, stramineous or reddish, main stem 0.7-1.4 mm in diam. in lower part; stem oval, flattened, or subquadrangular, sulcate or not, glabrous, with single vascular bundle, apex of main stem blackish (reddish when fresh), branches few or many; primary leafy branches 3-8 pairs, once pinnately branched, secondary branches forked or once pinnately branched, branchlets sparse, adjacent primary branches on main stem 4-7 cm apart, leafy portion of main stem including leaves 0.8-1.2 mm wide at middle, ultimate branches 5-8 mm wide including leaves. Axillary leaves on main stems not obviously larger than those on branches, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, base not peltate, attenuate; axillary leaves on branches symmetrical, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-3.6 × 0.8-1.6 mm, base exauriculate, margin slightly denticulate. Dorsal leaves ± symmetrical, those on main stems not obviously larger than those on branches; dorsal leaves on branches contiguous or imbricate, ovate, 2.1-3.8 × 0.5-1.8 mm, carinate, base obtuse, margin minutely denticulate, apex aristate with arista 1/4-1/3 as long as leaf, parallel to axis. Ventral leaves asymmetrical, those on main stem larger than those on branches; ventral leaves on branches distant or contiguous, spreading, oblong or oblong-falcate, 3.5-5 × 1.2-2.2 mm, apex obtuse; basiscopic base decurrent, margin entire; acroscopic base rounded, overlapping stem and branches, margin denticulate in basal half. Strobili solitary or in pairs, terminal, compact, dorsiventrally complanate, 4-14 × 1.4-3.2 mm; sporophylls strongly dimorphic, resupinate; dorsal sporophylls ovate-lanceolate, carinate, margin ciliolate, apex acuminate, with sporophyll-pteryx incomplete and denticulate; ventral sporophylls much smaller than dorsal leaves, later colorless, broadly ovate, carinate, margin denticulate; megasporophylls in basal portion on lower side of strobilus; microsporangia suborbicular, rather thin, cells uniform; microspores pale yellow, megaspores reddish brown.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland valleys and damp areas between 400-1,800 m above sea level.

Plants can be grown from cuttings and spores.