''Selaginella willdenowii'' is a species of

vascular plant Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes (, ) or collectively tracheophyta (; ), are plants that have lignin, lignified tissues (the xylem) for conducting water and minerals throughout the plant. They also have a specialized non-lignified Ti ...

in the

Selaginellaceae ''Selaginella'', also known as spikemosses or lesser clubmosses, is a genus of lycophyte. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Selaginellaceae, with over 750 known species. This family is distinguished from Lycopodiaceae (the ...

family. It is a

spikemoss ''Selaginella'', also known as spikemosses or lesser clubmosses, is a genus of lycophyte. It is usually treated as the only genus in the family Selaginellaceae, with over 750 known species. This family is distinguished from Lycopodiaceae (the ...

known by the common names Willdenow's spikemoss and peacock fern due to its

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstruc ...

blue leaves. Like other Selaginallales, it is

fern ally Fern allies are a diverse group of seedless vascular plants that are not true ferns. Like ferns, a fern ally disperses by shedding spores to initiate an alternation of generations. Classification Originally, three or four groups of plants w ...

and not a true

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

. ''Selaginella willdenowii'' is sometimes spelt incorrectly as ''Selaginella willdenovii''.

Description

The blue iridescence is produced by

thin-film interference Thin-film interference is a natural phenomenon in which light waves reflected by the upper and lower boundaries of a thin film Interference (wave propagation), interfere with one another, increasing reflection at some wavelengths and decreasing it ...

in a thin layer of cells with lamellar structure present 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. Blue iridescence is found also ''

Selaginella uncinata ''Selaginella uncinata'', the blue spikemoss, peacock moss, peacock spikemoss, or spring blue spikemoss, is a species of plant in the Selaginellaceae ''Selaginella'', also known as spikemosses or lesser clubmosses, is a genus of lycophyte. ...

'' and both species are adapted for extreme shade below the forest canopy.

References

External links

Glow-in-the-light ferns
by Daniela Rambaldini; 19 May 2011 {{Authority control willdenowii Flora of China Flora of tropical Asia Taxa named by John Gilbert Baker Taxa named by Nicaise Auguste Desvaux