little-club-moss

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• little-club-moss

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Stachygynandrum tamariscinum
• Lycopodioides tamariscina
• Lycopodium tamariscinum
• Selaginella veitchii
• Pulviniella tamariscina
• Selaginella convolvens
• Selaginella involvens f. major
• Selaginella involvens f. minor
• Selaginella involvens var. veitchii
• Selaginella leveillei
• Selaginella tamariscina var. ulanchotensis

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and is classified under the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. Within the subclass Lycopodiidae, it is organized into the order Selaginellales and the family Selaginellaceae. Finally, it is identified by its genus, Selaginella.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a widespread presence across several key regions throughout China. It can be found growing in the South-Central parts of the country as well as the Southeast. Additionally, its distribution extends to the island province of Hainan. In the northern reaches of the nation, it is documented within the Manchuria region. Finally, the species is also located in the North-Central areas of China.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Selaginella tamariscina is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, allowing the plant to persist through multiple growing seasons. It functions as a chamaephyte, a life form where the shoot system is located close to the soil surface, often protected by the substrate or leaf litter. This species maintains an evergreen deciduousness, ensuring that its foliage remains functional and green throughout much of its existence rather than shedding leaves seasonally. As a chamaephyte, its growth habit is optimized for its specific ecological niche, balancing structural stability with the ability to endure environmental fluctuations over its long-term life cycle.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Selaginella tamariscina is characterized by a diminutive growth form, typically functioning as a non-woody herb with an average plant height of approximately 0.1 m. As a terrestrial species, it lacks epiphytic tendencies, establishing itself directly within the soil or substrate. In terms of its structural habit, the plant is self-supporting rather than acting as an obligatory or facultative climber, maintaining its posture through its own specialized vegetative architecture.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Plant height mean:

0.1 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Selaginella tamariscina is characterized by its unique ability to undergo desiccation tolerance, allowing the plant to survive extreme periods of water loss by entering a state of metabolic quiescence. During dehydration, the plant undergoes complex physiological restructuring, including the accumulation of protective sugars and specialized proteins that stabilize cellular membranes and prevent protein denaturation. Its metabolic processes are highly adapted to low-water potentials, enabling a rapid recovery of photosynthetic activity and cellular respiration upon rehydration. Regarding its nutrient acquisition and symbiotic capabilities, the plant is not a nitrogen fixer; it does not possess the physiological mechanisms or symbiotic associations required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia, meaning its nitrogen requirements must be met through the uptake of available nitrates or ammonium from the soil.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Selaginella tamariscina has 4 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Abscisic acid (ABA), Selaginellin B, polyphenols, selaginellin.

Abscisic acid (ABA)

1. Molecular plant

Selaginellin B

1. American journal of translational research

polyphenols

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters

selaginellin

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Conditions

Selaginella tamariscina has 6 reported investigations on conditions identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include Lung cancer, cancer, gastric cancer, glucagon, hyperglycemia.

Lung cancer

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters

Cancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Gastric cancer

1. Cancer letters

Glucagon

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Hyperglycemia

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry

Lung cancer

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Selaginella tamariscina has 14 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Amentoflavone, Selaginella tamariscina extract, Selaginella tamariscina extracts (STE), botanical extracts, ethanol extract.

Amentoflavone

1. Free radical biology & medicine

Selaginella tamariscina extract

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Selaginella tamariscina extracts (ste)

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Botanical extracts

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica

Ethanol extract

1. International journal of molecular sciences

Ethyl acetate-soluble extract

1. Planta medica

Extract

1. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology

Extract of selaginella tamariscina

1. Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM

Methanol extract

1. Journal of natural products

Methanol extract of the aerial parts

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry