Ruby Red Spikemoss

Ruby Red Spikemoss
Selaginella erythropus 'Sanguinea'
(sell-lah-gi-NEL-uh) (er-ee-THROW-pus)


This cool looking groundcover was planted on the steep (sheer, actually) hillsides that are at the entrance to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden in Papaikou on the Big Island. The red feathery stems and green leaves made for a dramatic sight. We saw other types Selaginella growing at the HTBG and other places on the islands. It usually appeared to be a neat and fun groundcover. It kept reminding me off some of our evergreen trees shrunk down to miniature size. Mostly it looked like some sort of Arborvitae or Cypress.

Red Spikemoss grows to be 4-6 inches tall and likes a shady, moist soil. It spreads under the right conditions but not rampantly. It is hardy to USDA Zone 7 but can be grown in a container and over wintered indoors in colder climes.

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Here is a photo of a San Diego sunset from early 2009. We were treated to this just hanging around the Tourmaline Surfing Park in the late afternoon. An unexpected beauty.