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Peacock Moss

Selaginella uncinata, Selaginellaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called blue spike moss, blue spikemoss and rainbow fern.

Peacock Moss (Selaginella uncinata), the whole plant.
Sun Jiao (Interaccoonale), CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained or Poorly-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Clay; pH Neutral or Acid
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
From April to September, water generously and feed once a month.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
From April to September, water generously and feed each month.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Division and stem cuttings both work easily.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Increase by division or spores.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed. Dead and faded growth can be cut out when required.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by slugs and snails.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Snails or slugs can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Close view of Peacock Moss (Selaginella uncinata) foliage.
Close upToni Wöhrl, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Selaginella uncinata, the blue spikemoss, peacock fern, peacock spikemoss, rainbow moss, or spring blue spikemoss, is a species of plant in the Selaginellaceae family.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
C. & S. China to N. Indo-China
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
China
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
temperate
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
perennial or subshrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Ground Cover; habit creeping, dense, horizontal, spreading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Matforming (semi evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 3–6 in; width 12–18 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height Up to 10 cm; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
No flowers
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Selaginella

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.