Lycopodium ciliare Retzius, Observ. Bot. 5: 32. 1789; Lycopodioides ciliaris (Retzius) Kuntze; L. exigua (Spring) Kuntze; Lycopodium belangeri Bory; Selaginella belangeri (Bory) Spring; S. exigua Spring.

Plants terrestrial, evergreen or seasonally green, shortly creeping, fertile erect stem 2-5 cm, with creeping or prostrate stems. Rhizophores restricted to lower part of erect fertile branches or to middle of main stem, borne on ventral side in axils of branches. Main stems branched throughout, stramineous, 0.3-0.4 mm in diam. in lower part, terete, not sulcate or sulcate; primary leafy branches 3 or 4 pairs, simple or forked or once pinnately branched, branchlets sparse, adjacent primary branches on main stem ca. 1 cm apart; leafy portion of main stem including leaves 3-4 mm wide at middle. Axillary leaves on branches symmetrical or slightly asymmetrical, ovate, 1.2-2 × 0.6-1 mm, base exauriculate, margin ciliolate in basal half, upward denticulate. Dorsal leaves ± symmetrical, those on main stems not obviously larger than those on branches; dorsal leaves on branches contiguous, ovate, 1.2-1.6 × 0.6-1 mm, slightly carinate, base subcordate or obtuse, margin minutely denticulate, apex acuminate or aristate. Ventral leaves asymmetrical; ventral leaves on branches spreading, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.6-2 × 1.6-2 mm, apex acute; basiscopic margin subentire or minutely denticulate to apex; acroscopic base enlarged, broader, overlapping stem and branches, margin ciliolate. Strobili solitary, terminal, compact, dorsiventrally complanate, 4.5-13 × 2-4.5 mm; sporophylls strongly dimorphic, resupinate, white-margined; dorsal sporophylls minutely denticulate, with sporophyll-pteryx incomplete (ending midway to apex) and ciliolate; ventral sporophylls ovate-triangular, margin ciliolate, all known sporophylls megasporophylls; megaspores greenish-yellowish orange.

The presence of only megasporangiate strobili in Selaginella ciliaris suggests that this species may be apomictic.

Grasslands; below 100-900 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [India, Indonesia (Java), Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam; Australia].