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The "Iwa-hiba" (Selaginella tamariscina) belongs to Selaginellaceae (the Spikemoss family). It is an evergreen fern that is distributed throughout Japan, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, China, northern Thailand, India, Siberia in Russia, and the Philippines. It grows on rocks and trees in mountainous areas and grows 10 to 20 cm tall. The rhizophores or roots tangle together to form a false stem, at the end of which cladodes gather and open coronally. The leaf surface is dark green with a grayish-white underside. The leaves have two dimorphic forms: dorsal leaf and ventral leaf. At the ends of the branches, square-column shaped strobiluses are produced. The strobilus has many fertile fronds, and each fertile frond has one sorus. It is called "äÝ”N¼" in Taiwanese and "™É”" (juan bai) in Chinese.
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