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The Selaginellaceae includes a single genus, Selaginella, the spikemosses. These plants are very similar to the lycopods except that they have no upright branches. The spikemosses generally form mats on the ground or hang from trees. Much of the "moss" that festoons the Olympic rain forest trees is actually Selaginella oregana. The sporangia are less conspicuous than those of the lycopods and are usually 4-angled rather than round. Selaginella spores produce either male or female gametophytes, which undergo essentially all their development within the spore wall, which splits only as the gametes are matured. The spores are released to rest on the soil surface just before the gametes are mature. Water is required for fertilization.

Many spikemosses are very tolerant of drying. The "resurrection plant" sold at many nurseries is Selaginella lepidophylla, a spikemoss from the southwest US and Mexico.

Selaginella oregana Oregon selaginella Selaginella oregana isn't the only species in the area, but it is the most likely Selaginella to encounter. Look for it festooning the branches of deciduous trees in the rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. If you find the sporangia in the axils of the leaves at the tips of the shoots, you will know you've found it. During dry weather, the pendent branches curl into ringlets. There is also an isolated population of Selaginella oregana on the Queen Charlotte Islands, which was apparently established because Native Americans used Selaginella oregana as kneepads in their canoes.