What are the other names for Selaginella? A complete guide
What are the other names for Selaginella? Selaginella belongs to the family Selaginellaceae and the genus Selaginella; its other names are Jiusi Huanhun Cao (nine-death resurrection grass), Shi Bai (stone cypress), Yanbai Cao (rock cypress grass), and Huangdan Juanbai. Distribution of Selaginella: China, Siberia in Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, India and the Philippines. It mostly grows on sunny hillside rocks or in dry rock crevices. It is produced in most parts of China. Main production areas are in Shan 
Selaginella, also known as Jiusi Huanhun Cao (nine-death resurrection grass), sounds very much like something from a martial arts novel, because its vitality is extremely strong: in extreme environments its roots can separate from the soil on their own, curl up into a fist shape, and move with the wind; when it meets water it spreads out again and the roots burrow back into the soil to seek moisture.
Family and genus of Selaginella
Family Selaginellaceae, genus Selaginella
Other names for Selaginella
Jiusi Huanhun Cao (nine-death resurrection grass), Shi Bai (stone cypress), Yanbai Cao (rock cypress grass), Huangdan Juanbai.
Distribution of Selaginella
Distributed in China, Siberia in Russia, the Korean Peninsula, Japan, India and the Philippines. It mostly grows on sunny hillside rocks or in dry rock crevices. It is produced in most parts of China. Main production areas are Shandong, Liaoning and Hebei.
Morphological characteristics of Selaginella
Selaginella is a perennial herbaceous plant. The main stem is upright, and many fibrous roots grow from the stem. The upper part of the plant is arranged in a whorled cluster with many branches. The leaves are scale-like and densely arranged in a tile-like pattern; the surface is green, the leaf margins have a colorless membranous edge, and the tips taper into a colorless long awn. It is monoecious, and the spores are arranged irregularly; inside there are 4 yellow macrospores, and the microsporangia are orange-yellow.
Growth habits of Selaginella
Selaginella is also called Jiusi Huanhun Cao because it can come back to life after "dying"; this is precisely its peculiarity. Its growing environment is quite special, and it can often be found in dry rock crevices or on barren rocky slopes. When water is plentiful, Selaginella absorbs water and its branches and leaves spread out, fresh green and lovely. Once the water supply is lost, its branches and leaves lose their green color and curl up into a ball, as if dead. But with its survival skill of living when there is water and "dying" when there is none, Selaginella not only does not die of drought, but instead reproduces and multiplies from generation to generation.
Myth and legend of Selaginella
Legend says that on the shore of Tianchi on Kunlun Mountain, there grew a kind of immortal herb that could bring the dead back to life. One year there was a great drought among the people, and a plague spread, causing many common people to die. The Dragon Girl in Tianchi could not bear to see the people suffer, so she secretly brought the immortal herb to the human world to heal them. When the Dragon King learned of this, he flew into a rage and banished the Dragon Girl to the human world. After coming to the human world, the Dragon Girl turned into Huanhun Cao (resurrection grass) to save all living beings. Huanhun Cao has strong vitality; after being dried, it can still grow when placed in water. This Huanhun Cao is Selaginella.
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