Golden Sprites

We love the winter color forms of the fascinating spikemoss, Selaginella tamariscina. This Asian (China, Japan, Korea, Russia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, and Philipines) native naturally has solid green foliage, but through the centuries, Japanese gardeners have made countless selections with colored foliage. I’m particularly fond of Selaginella ‘Golden Sprite’ (below). In growth, these make very tight buns, that resemble those fake dwarf trees used by miniature railroad enthusiasts. In the garden, we find they grow the best in half day sun.

This species of selaginellas is a xerophyte, meaning it grows in some of the driest environments on earth. In the wild, it grows naturally in the ground (terrestrial), and epilithically (on rocks). If they get too dry, the plants will play dead by shriveling completely, into something I’m sure many gardeners would toss into the trash. As soon as moisture becomes available, however, they quickly rehydrate.

In Japan, Selaginella tamariscina is usually grown in very expensive, ornate ceramic pots, but at JLBG, we eschew that for in-ground culture, finding them exceptional as rock garden specimens. We now have some clumps that are 15 years old, and have never exceeded 4″ tall x 8″ wide. Selaginella tamariscina also contains a number of medicinally active compounds, and has been used for centuries as a medicine to treat gout and similar ailments.

Selaginella tamariscina ‘Golden Sprite’

5 thoughts on “Golden Sprites”

  1. Tony,
    I am subscribed to your email list and look forward to reading your posts every day. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

    Noah

  2. Oh this looks gorgeous. Where can I purchase one? (I do not see it on the Plant Delights website for sale?)

    Thanks so much.
    Mary Bean

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