Wolf's-foot Clubmoss

''Lycopodium clavatum'' (common club moss, stag's-horn clubmoss, running clubmoss, or ground pineBailey, L.H.; Bailey, E.Z.; the staff of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. ''Hortus third: A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada''. Macmillan, New York.) is the most widespread species in the genus '' Lycopodium'' in the clubmoss family.

Description

''Lycopodium clavatum'' is a spore-bearing vascular plant, growing mainly prostrate along the ground with stems up to long; the stems are much branched, and densely clothed with small, spirally arranged microphyll leaves. The leaves are 3–5 mm long and 0.7–1 mm broad, tapered to a fine hair-like white point. The branches bearing strobili or spore cones turn erect, reaching above ground, and their leaves are modified as sporophylls that enclose the spore capsules or sporangia. The spore cones are yellow-green, long, and broad. The horizontal stems produce roots at frequent intervals along their length, allowing the stem to grow indefinitely along the ground. The stems superficially resemble small seedlings of coniferous trees, though it is not related to these.

Distribution

''Lycopodium clavatum'' has a widespread distribution across several continents. There are distinct subspecies and varieties in different parts of its range:
*''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum''
**''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum'' var. ''clavatum'' ( Europe, Asia, North America)
**''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum'' var. ''aristatum'' ( Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, northern South America south to northern Argentina)
**''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum'' var. ''asiaticum'' (Japan, northeast China)
**''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum'' var. ''borbonicum'' (central and southern Africa)
**''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''clavatum'' var. ''kiboanum'' (mountains of tropical Africa)
*''Lycopodium clavatum'' subsp. ''contiguum'' (southern Central America, northern South America; syn. ''Lycopodium contiguum'')

Although globally widespread, like many clubmosses, it is confined to undisturbed sites, disappearing from farmed areas and sites with regular burning. As a result, it is endangered in many areas. In the UK it is one of 101 species named as a high priority for conservation by the wild plant charity Plantlife.

;Other common names
Common names for this species include wolf's-foot clubmoss, common clubmoss, wolf-paw clubmoss, running ground-pine, running pine, running moss, princess pine, and others.

;Use
The spores of this moss, " lycopodium powder", are explosive if present in high density air. They were used as flash powder in early photography and magic acts.

;Active constituents
Bioactive secondary metabolites in clubmosses include triterpenoids with acetylcholinesterase inhibitor activity isolated from this species.Rollinger JM, Ewelt J, Seger C, Sturm S, Ellmerer EP, Stuppner H (2005). ''Planta Med'';71(11):1040-3.

Image:Lycopodium clavatum clavatum2.jpg, ''L. clavatum'' ssp. ''clavatum'' var. ''clavatum'', with strobili
Image:Lycopodium_clavatum.jpg, ''L. clavatum'' with strobili

References

External links

''Lycopodium clavatum'', running ground pine, Flora, fauna, earth, and sky...The natural history of the northwoods

BioimagesphotosJepson Manual Treatment, University of CaliforniaCalphotos Photo gallery, University of Californiaphoto of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Dominican Republic in 1967

{{Taxonbar, from=Q466426

Lycopodiaceae
Medicinal plants
Flora of Asia
Flora of Africa
Flora of North America
Flora of the Caribbean
Flora of South America
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus