Selaginella elmeri aka Selaginella Elmeri

Selaginella elmeri is a member of the family Selaginellaceae. Kew’s plant checklist places its native range in the Philippines. It names Leyte and Mindanao as islands within that range. These records tell us where the plant grows as a native. The RHS says it is not native to Britain or Ireland. That statement concerns its native range, not its care needs. It does not tell us how much cold the plant can bear.

Kew calls this plant a subshrub, a term for its growth form. It places the plant in a wet tropical climate zone. This gives a broad picture of the climate where it grows. It does not give a full guide to growing it. The records give no height or spread for this species. We therefore have no stated size for a full-grown plant. Nor do these records show how much space it needs.

The RHS accepts Selaginella elmeri as the correct name. Its page also gives an account of the genus. A genus is a broader group than a species. That account covers the group, rather than this plant alone. It does not show what shape this plant’s leaves have. Nor does it establish the form of its stems. It gives no firm details of this plant’s spore-bearing parts. Those are the parts that bear spores.

The evidence gives gardeners few details about this species. It does not state how much light the plant needs. It gives no guide to the soil it needs. Nor does it say how much to water it. The records do not state its limits in cold weather. Its wet tropical origin does not settle these points. A broad climate zone alone cannot set precise care needs. It also cannot tell us the plant’s hardiness limits.

The records give no account of uses in a landscape. They do not name pests or diseases for this species. They also give no details of parts people can eat. Nor do they state whether the plant is toxic. This lack of evidence does not establish that it is safe to eat. The supplied records leave both food use and toxicity unresolved.