Selaginella kraussiana (Kunze) A. Braun
Diagnostic description:
A small, low, much-branched, creeping plant. Stems flattened, leafy, from 5 to 10 cm long, but can be up to 20 cm. Leaves up to 2.5 mm long, ovate, sharply pointed; margins finely serrated; arranged in four rows along the stems, the upper two rows smaller and adpressed to the stem and the lower outer two rows larger and spreading. Spores borne in tiny unstalked cones.
Distribution:
Local: Very rare in Gibraltar. Found at the bottom of Willis’s Gully (North-facing side), and near the top of Bruce’s Gully (North-facing side).
Global: Found throughout the Mediterranean region and in the Canary Islands.
Habitat:
Grows in damp, shady places.
Life cycle:
Spores ripen between (February) March, April and May (June)