1650 



SELAGINELLA 



SELENIPEDIUM 



32. flabellS.ta, Spring. Stems erect, deltoid, decom- 

 pound, with contiguous final branchlets: Ivs. of lower 

 plane obliquely ovate, acute, broadly rounded and cili- 

 ated at the base; Ivs. of upper plane obliquely ovate, 

 cuspidate. Widely distributed in tropical regions. — One 

 of the forms of this is cultivated as (S. crispa, Hort. 



33. Vdgelii, Spring (S. AfricAna, A. Br. ;S. Pervillei, 

 Spring). Stems decompound above, the lower pinnae 

 deltoid, petioled, 3-4-pinnate: Ivs. of lower plane lan- 

 ceolate, ascending, often i-evolute on both edges, trun- 

 cate at base; Ivs. of upper plane minute, strongly cus- 

 pidate. Africa. 



34. L^allii, Spring. Stems deltoid above, the lower 

 pinnae bipinnate, the final divisions K-1 in. long, >8->6 

 in. wide: Ivs. of lower plane oblong-lanceolate, falcate, 

 acute; Ivs. of upper plane minute, acute. Madagascar. 



35. erythropus, Spring. Stems under a foot long, del- 

 toid and decompound above, the lower pinnae 3-pinnate, 

 the ultimate divisions one -twelfth to one-eighth in. 

 wide|: Ivs. of lower plane oblong- lanceolate, acute, 

 strongly ciliated; Ivs. of upper plane one-half as long, 

 cuspidate. Tropical America. — (S. setdsa, Hort., is said 

 to be a starved form of this species. 



36. hsematddes, Spring {IT. filiclna, Spring). Stems 

 ]-2 ft. long, the deltoid pinnae 3-4-pinnate, the ultimate 

 divisions %-% in. wide: Ivs. of lower plane ascend- 

 ing, oblong-rhomboid, acute, dilated on upper side at 

 base, not ciliated; Ivs. of upper plane minute, cuspidate. 

 Venezuela to Peru. 



37. geniculita, Spring { S. elongAta, KL). Stems 2-3 

 ft. long, decompound, with lower pinnae 3-pinnate, the 

 divisions ascending and pinnately arranged: Ivs. of 

 lower plane ovate, acute; Ivs. of upper plane one-third 

 as long, ovate-lanceolate. Costa Rica to Peru. 



38. cordifdlia, Spring {S. corddfa, KL). Stems trail- 

 ing, a foot long, with short branches often ending in 

 whip-like tips: Ivs. of lower plane acute, pale green, 

 membranous, ciliated on the upper edge, dilated and 

 subcordate; Ivs. of upper plane ovate- lanceolate, cuspi- 

 date. West Indies. 



39. mdlliceps, Spring (-S. ■>7t6riCrtMZts, A. Br. ). Stems 

 erect, G-9 in. long, bisulcate above, much compound: 

 Ivs. of lower plane oblong-lanceolate, dark green, very 

 unequal-sided, serrulate on the upper edge; Ivs. of up- 

 per plane one-half to one-third as long, ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, cuspidate. Africa. 



The following American trade names cannot be satisfactorily 

 accounted for as species: <S'. acmilis is said to be one of the 

 most important commercial species cult, in America.- S. cir- 

 cindtum is cult, at Harvard Botanic Garden. — S. Lageriana 

 was introduced from Colombia and probably belongs to species 

 already described from that country. It is said to be a very 

 light green plant and a strong grower, whereas S. Pitcheriaua 

 is of dwarfer habit and with stems and under surface of fronds 

 red and upper surface dark green.— S. paradoxn. Offered by 

 John Saul, 1893. — S. Pitcheridna. Consult S. Lageriana. Co- 

 lombia.— »§. rubieunda and triangularis were offered by Saul 

 in 1893. — S. umbrbsa. Once cult, by Pitcher & Manda, of the 

 United States Nurseries. 



L. M. Underwood. 



Selaginellas are favorite plants in every good con- 

 servatorj', being greatly admired for their feathery, 

 moss-like foliage. They have various shades of green, 

 and some of them are remarkable for metallic and iri- 

 descent tints, especially bronze and bluish colors, the 

 latter being very unusual among plants in general. S. 

 Willdenovii i.s a very choice large-growing species of 

 the bronze and blue class. Another is /S\ nncinata, 

 often called "Rainbow Moss." Selaginellas are often 

 grown for their own sake as specimen plants, but they 

 arc also very commonly used as edging for greenhouse 

 beds, for covering iinsightly spots under the benches, 

 and for hiding the surface soil of large tubs, orchid pots 

 and the like. See Fig. 2303. They are also delightful 

 subjects for table decoration when grown in pans or 

 jardinieres. For this purpose a well-grown Selaginella 

 should be a dense, compact mass of fluffy and feathery 

 green, not a weak, thin, straggling plant, as shown in 

 Figs. 2.304 and 2305. Sflagincllas are also employed in 

 bouquets of flowers, fronds being used for "green" in- 

 stead of asparagus or fern. Occasionally a fancier of 

 the more difficult species grows a large specimen in a 

 wardian case for exliibition. 



In general, Selaginellas are of easy culture. As a 

 rule they prefer shade and moisture and are somewhat 

 tender in foliage compared with some of the commonest 

 of commercial ferns. S. denticulata, Kraussiana, Mar- 

 tensii, and some other commercial favorites may be 

 rapidly propagated without any preliminary treatment 

 in the cutting bench. Cuttings of these species about 

 an inch and a half long may be inserted directly into 

 small pots of light sandy soil, placed in a shady position. 

 Syringe them lightly three or four times a day for a. 

 week, at the end of which time they will take root. 

 They will soon grow into salable plants. 



The popular S. Emmeliana, which is generally con 

 sidered by florists a variety of S. cuspidata, requires 

 different treatment. It is much slower and sometimes 

 requires about nine months from the making of cuttings 

 until the young plants are ready for potting. 



Fill regular fern boxes with fern soil, adding one 

 part in five of sand, and press firmly. Select mature 

 fronds of the S. JSm meliana, cut them into pieces half an 

 inch long, scatter thinly over surface of soil, and put 

 just enough finely screened soil on top of the cuttings 

 to attach some small portion of them to the soil. Water 

 thoroughly, cover with glass, and place in a temperature 

 of 70° F. In this condition they will soon form roots 

 and little plants at almost every joint. When sufliciently 

 large they should be separated and transplanted singly 

 an inch apart into boxes, where they may be left until 

 large enough to be potted. 



The following list of Selaginellas for special and gen- 

 eral purpose is not designed to be complete, but merely 

 suggestive. For commercial purposes, S. denticulata, 

 Kra%issiana, Maiiensii &nd Emmeliana; for carpeting 

 the soil, S. denticulata; for table decoration, S. JUmme- 

 liana and S. Martensii; for cutting, the commercial 

 kinds; for veranda boxes, S. Braunii; for bronze and 

 blue colors, S. Willdenovii and S. uncinata; for specimen 

 plants and exhibitions, S. Jiraunii, Lyalli, viticulosa, 

 Wallichii, and Willdenovii. Also the following, which 

 are generally considered more difficult subjects; S.atro- 

 viridis, hcetnatodes and rubricaulis; for curiosity, S. 

 serpens and lepidopliylla. 



The curiosities of the genus call for special mention. 

 S. serpens is remarkable for its changes of color during 

 the day. In the morning the foliage is bright green; 

 during the day it gradually becomes paler as though 

 bleached by the light ; toward night it resumes its 

 lively green hue again. For S. lepidopliylla, see Resur- 

 rection Plant. 



The following species also deserve a few running 

 notes: S. Braunii is an old favorite which is often in- 

 correctly labelled S. Willdenovii in collections. Its 

 branches, or "foliage" in the popular sense, are excep- 

 tionally tough and wiry for the genus. Variegated 

 forms appear in S. Martetisii, Kraussiana and invol- 

 vens, the last-named species being prolific in singular 

 forms. S. viticulosa is better adapted for use as a pot- 

 plant than for mingling in a fernery, because of its 

 strong-growing, erect, fern-like habit. The branchlets 

 are thrown up from creeping stems and do not root 

 readily, so that this species is usually prop, by division 

 or spores. 



W. H. Taplin, N. N. Bruckner and W. M. 



SELECTION. See Plant- Breeding and the discus- 

 sion under Seedage. 



SEL£NIA atirea, Nutt., is a hardy annual of the mus- 

 tard family, a native of the U. S. from Arkansas and 

 Texas to the base of the Rockies. It is not known to be 

 cult, in America, but it seems to be one of the prettiest 

 of our few native ornamental crucifers. It has small 

 yellow fls. about 3^ in. across, each of the 4 petals hav- 

 ing a central band of red. It is also interesting for its 

 finely cut foliage and its flat pods through which the 

 seeds may be vaguely seen, as in the case of Lunaria, 

 or "Honesty." It grows about 9 in. high. B.M. CG07. 



W. M. 



SEL£NIP£:DIUM (from selene, moon, and pedion, 

 ground; analogous to Cypripedium. It was evidently 

 intended to derive the second part of the word from 

 pedilon, sandal, and some botanists and horticultural 

 writers use the word thus derived, but Reichenbach 



