Selaginella willdenowii

Selaginella willdenowii is a species of vascular plant in the Selaginellaceae family.[1] It is a spikemoss known by the common names Willdenow's spikemoss[2][3] and peacock fern[4] due to its iridescent blue leaves.[5][6] Like other Selaginallales, it is fern ally and not a true fern.

Selaginella willdenowii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Lycophytes
Class: Lycopodiopsida
Order: Selaginellales
Family: Selaginellaceae
Genus: Selaginella
Species:
S. willdenowii
Binomial name
Selaginella willdenowii
(Desv. ex Poir.) Baker
Synonyms[1]

Lycopodium willdenowii Desv.

Selaginella willdenowii is sometimes spelt incorrectly as Selaginella willdenovii.[7]

Description

The blue iridescence is produced by thin-film interference produced by a thin layer of cells with lamellar structure in the upper cuticle of leaves. It is suggested that this adaptation reduces the effect of strong sun beams filtering through the canopy that would otherwise damage shade-adapted species.[8] Blue iridescence is found also Selaginella uncinata and both species are adapted for extreme shade below the forest canopy.[9]

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References
  1. "Selaginella willdenowii (Desv.) Baker". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  2. Selaginella willdenovii — Willdenow's Spikemoss, Encyclopedia of Life
  3. Selaginella willdenowii, USDA Plants Database
  4. Nature's Palette - the Science of Plant Color by David Lee
  5. Function of blue iridescence in tropical understorey plants by Thomas et al; 25 October 2010
  6. Leaves change colors under different lighting: Selaginella ferns, asknature.org
  7. Peacock fern Selaginella willdenovii Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Fact Sheet, Weeds of Australia, Biosecurity Queensland Edition
  8. Thomas, Katherine R.; Kolle, Mathias; Whitney, Heather M.; Glover, Beverley J.; Steiner, Ullrich (2010-12-06). "Function of blue iridescence in tropical understorey plants". Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 7 (53): 1699–1707. doi:10.1098/rsif.2010.0201. ISSN 1742-5689. PMC 2988267. PMID 20519208.
  9. Hébant, Charles; Lee, David W. (1984). "Ultrastructural Basis and Developmental Control of Blue Iridescence in Selaginella Leaves". American Journal of Botany. 71 (2): 216–219. doi:10.2307/2443748. JSTOR 2443748.
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