What is the difference between Coral Fern and Blue Clubmoss? A quick guide to tell them apart

The scientific name of Coral Fern is Selaginella apoda, and it is not tall, being mostly used as a potted houseplant in daily life. Blue Clubmoss (Selaginella uncinata), also known as Blue Spikemoss and Ground Cedar Leaf, is likewise mostly used as a potted houseplant. The two plants look somewhat similar and both belong to the genus Selaginella. Many people often cannot tell these two plants apart when buying potted plants to care for, so where exactly do the differences between Coral Fern and Blue Clubmoss lie?

1. The differences between Coral Fern and Blue Clubmoss

Selaginella apoda is native to the eastern United States and parts of northeastern Mexico, mainly growing in moist soil. It is a low-altitude plant, and wild samples have only been found in areas no higher than 100 m above sea level. Blue Clubmoss, by contrast, is a plant endemic to China, mainly distributed in the southern regions of the country, growing on valley floors in forests at 40-1000 m above sea level, in humus-rich soil or among shaded, damp weeds along streams.

Coral Fern is highly adaptable, and can be found from the tropics to the frigid zone. The whole plant is tender green, with dense, clustered branches and leaves, about 10 cm tall. It is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant, upright in form with many branches, giving a fresh feeling like aquatic grass. Blue Clubmoss, by contrast, is a medium-sized creeping fern, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Its leaves are all alternately arranged, with fronds resembling cloud patterns, evergreen in all four seasons. The main stem is first upright and then climbing, 50-100 cm long or even longer.

2. The respective growing habits of Coral Fern and Blue Clubmoss

Coral Fern likes semi-shaded environments, and is best grown with scattered light; it likes water and grows well in moist soil; it can tolerate low temperatures down to -5°C, and is at its most ornamental when air humidity is above 60%. Blue Clubmoss, by contrast, is suited to growing in weakly acidic or acidic soil. Its minimum tolerable temperature is 4°C, and its ideal temperature is 13°C-27°C. When growing it, avoid long periods of direct light; when air humidity is high, it shows a blue-green fluorescence.

That is all we have to say about Coral Fern and Blue Clubmoss. When buying plants on the market to care for, be sure to tell them apart, and do not mix up these two plants.