# Blue Spikemoss (selaginella uncinata)



## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

Hello, I saw a picture and was interested in selaginella uncinata (it has many different names) because of its cool blue color. In most of the images it was a nice turquoise blue color with various patches of green throughout. I saw this image and wondered if this was digitally enhanced, or photoshopped. Can this type of plant get to look like this, or does it primarily look blue? Either way, it is still a really cool looking plant, I would just be interested to know if it could get to look like this.


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## Lunatuck (Apr 15, 2021)

I’ve seen a bunch of pictures of that variety that have a similar blue color. I don’t believe its editing.


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## Harpspiel (Jan 18, 2015)

Many of the iridescent plants seem to have the most iridescence in very low light - this applies to _Begonia pavonina _and I believe _Selaginella uncinata. _A few need higher light to bring out the iridescence instead. Anyway, it is possible to get that blue from that Selaginella, but it will only be a flash of color at certain angles and in certain conditions, and I believe S. uncinata gets pretty big and would need to be trimmed often.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

I don’t mind trimming at all! I would actually prefer it because then I could place it in other spots so it can grow faster.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Mine is really only that way with new growth. Older growth is green and sorta dull.


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## Shazace (Jul 19, 2020)

yes, but you’d have to grow it in low light or shaded area. It’s one of my favorites but it’s such a weed. 

This is close to when I bought it. Only had one light fixture at the time.









Macro shot









I added a second fixture to light the front. Now I go back and forth between the next two photos
















I used to trim and add them on top of each other because I struggled with tossing it out. It did created a nice effect though. The common names rainbow moss/peacock fern suit it well. It really does show all the colors of the rainbow.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

Thanks for the pictures!


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## TeddytheFinger (May 8, 2019)

I've seen this and haven't tried it out....I may give up on local mosses and go this route!


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## Leoito (Mar 4, 2021)

I love the branching iridescent fronds and the look that creates; anyone know of good sources to pick some up from? Josh's Frogs was selling it, but their examples didn't look so lively.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

Glass box tropicals sells it


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## Schledog (Apr 28, 2020)

If you can track any down, Selaginella willdownii is another great iridescent Selaginella. I wish I had some to offer atm but I've traded it all off except for my own mother plant. Selaginella siamensis is also iridescent but its extremely hard to find in my experience.


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> I believe S. uncinata gets pretty big and would need to be trimmed often.





> It’s one of my favorites but it’s such a weed.


Take heed. Also my experience. It's lovely, but if you make it happy it's a real galloping fucker.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

Top Fin® Peacock Fern | fish Live Plants | PetSmart
seems that petsmart is selling it as an actual LIVE plant and not a plastic one. The picture doesn’t appear to have any blue in it, rather looking more like a green selaginella. Anyone think this is the actual plant? I think that if they were selling the real deal, they would make sure to show off the nice colors it could get instead of just green.

Edit - I know this isn’t the uncinata type being sold, but someone mentioned wildownii and it looks cool too.


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## Schledog (Apr 28, 2020)

asteroids said:


> Top Fin® Peacock Fern | fish Live Plants | PetSmart
> seems that petsmart is selling it as an actual LIVE plant and not a plastic one. The picture doesn’t appear to have any blue in it, rather looking more like a green selaginella. Anyone think this is the actual plant? I think that if they were selling the real deal, they would make sure to show off the nice colors it could get instead of just green.
> 
> Edit - I know this isn’t the uncinata type being sold, but someone mentioned wildownii and it looks cool too.


Its worth a shot. If I were you I would just ask around on Facebook or something, that's where I bought my original plant.


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## Chlorophile (Jun 29, 2017)

asteroids said:


> Top Fin® Peacock Fern | fish Live Plants | PetSmart
> seems that petsmart is selling it as an actual LIVE plant and not a plastic one. The picture doesn’t appear to have any blue in it, rather looking more like a green selaginella. Anyone think this is the actual plant? I think that if they were selling the real deal, they would make sure to show off the nice colors it could get instead of just green.
> 
> Edit - I know this isn’t the uncinata type being sold, but someone mentioned wildownii and it looks cool too.


If you're successful growing it terrestrially, please let us know what acclimation process or final environment worked for you. I've tried this (same product - with the hydrogel and all) maybe three times and killed it every time. Didn't seem to transition well no matter what I did, though maybe I wasn't giving it high enough humidity to regrow roots/rhizoids. I'm stubborn enough to try again someday though.
If it's anything like my _S. uncinata_ that I finally got to thrive, it'll take/want amazingly low levels of light to get that bluish color. My PAR readings were around 35 in the temporary location it seems to be happy. (In closed clear salad clamshells, laid on top of damp sphagnum, _outside _of my plant stand shelf lit by a single LED shop light. That said, a similar PAR-rated location in a tank it died on me.)


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

I thought I was going to get it because it said it was in stock at my local PetSmart. I showed up there and they said they haven't been selling it for years. they got to do a better job with their website - also I searched a bit and found people with the same issue u had. No matter what they did they couldn't get it to live in their vivs. If there is another place besides PetSmart that sells it I think it would be cool to try it out. But for the meantime I'm just gonna stick to uncinata.


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## Chlorophile (Jun 29, 2017)

asteroids said:


> I thought I was going to get it because it said it was in stock at my local PetSmart. I showed up there and they said they haven't been selling it for years. they got to do a better job with their website - also I searched a bit and found people with the same issue u had. No matter what they did they couldn't get it to live in their vivs. If there is another place besides PetSmart that sells it I think it would be cool to try it out. But for the meantime I'm just gonna stick to uncinata.


Weird, as I've seen it in their stores near me for awhile, though I don't know how many employees would know what it is unless they read the label. (But I'm a bit of a horticulture snob since I worked in a garden center for a long time and am a plant nerd.) Anyway, maybe their comment was store-specific.

I feel your pain about retail website inventory searches...even on the box stores, which you think could throw lots of money at IT for this, I find the search functions to be crap. Maybe if you find yourself near another location of theirs, look again.

You're right, though...maybe not the best starter plant to work with for us, though maybe a few folks get them to live. (If it's that fickle I'm surprised the sprigs last as long as they do in the containers and gel.) Oh, well. I too hope to try this species someday...looks spectacular in images online.


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## asteroids (Mar 20, 2021)

Yeah I agree with u. However I don’t think the problem is the PEOPLe caring for the plant like u or me. i just think that once it’s at PetSmart, it’s already pretty much dead 😂 And that toxic gel substance that it comes with doesn’t help the matter either. Yeah it does look really nice, I would love to have it too someday. I wonder if the switch from gel to no gel is too extreme for it. maybe it panics once the gel is gone, since it’s used to it.


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