Selaginella willdenowii

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Divisio: Tracheophyta
Divisio: Lycopodiophyta
Classis: Lycopodiopsida
Subclassis: Isoetidae
Ordo: Selaginellales

Familia: Selaginellaceae
Genus: Selaginella
Species: Selaginella willdenowii
Name

Selaginella willdenowii (Desv. ex Poir.) Baker
Synonymy

Basionym
Lycopodium willdenowii Desv. ex Poir., Encycl. [J. Lamarck & al.] Suppl. 3: 552, (1814).

References

Gardeners' Chronicle (London) 1867: 783 (& 950), 1867.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Selaginella willdenowii in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 08-Apr-12.

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 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]
References

"Selaginella willdenowii (Desv.) Baker". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
Selaginella willdenovii — Willdenow's Spikemoss, Encyclopedia of Life
Selaginella willdenowii, USDA Plants Database
Nature's Palette - the Science of Plant Color by David Lee
Function of blue iridescence in tropical understorey plants by Thomas et al; 25 October 2010
Leaves change colors under different lighting: Selaginella ferns, asknature.org
Peacock fern Selaginella willdenovii Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine, Fact Sheet, Weeds of Australia, Biosecurity Queensland Edition
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.
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.