''Lycopodium'' (from Greek ''lykos'', wolf and ''podion'', diminutive of ''pous'', foot) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

clubmoss Lycopodiopsida is a class of vascular plants known as lycopods, lycophytes or other terms including the component lyco-. Members of the class are also called clubmosses, firmosses, spikemosses and quillworts. They have dichotomously branching ...

es, also known as ground pines or creeping cedars, in the family

Lycopodiaceae The Lycopodiaceae (class Lycopodiopsida, order Lycopodiales) are an old family of vascular plants, including all of the core clubmosses and firmosses, comprising 16 accepted genera and about 400 known species. This family originated about 380 m ...

. Two very different circumscriptions of the genus are in use. In the

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, or PPG, is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the classification of pteridophytes ( lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relatio ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I), ''Lycopodium'' is one of nine genera in the subfamily

Lycopodioideae ''Lycopodioideae'' is a subfamily in the family Lycopodiaceae in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). It is equivalent to a broad circumscription of the genus '' Lycopodium'' in other classifications. Like all lycoph ...

, and has from nine to 15 species. In other classifications, the genus is equivalent to the whole of the subfamily, since it includes all of the other genera. More than 40 species are accepted.

Description

They are

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

less, vascular, terrestrial or

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclu ...

s, with widely branched, erect, prostrate, or creeping stems, with small, simple, needle-like or scale-like leaves that cover the stem and branches thickly. The leaves contain a single, unbranched vascular strand, and are

microphyll In plant anatomy and evolution a microphyll (or lycophyll) is a type of plant leaf with one single, unbranched leaf vein. Plants with microphyll leaves occur early in the fossil record, and few such plants exist today. In the classical concept of ...

s by definition. The kidney-shaped (reniform) spore-cases (

sporangia A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cyc ...

) contain spores of one kind only, ( isosporous, homosporous), and are borne on the upper surface of the leaf blade of specialized leaves (sporophylls) arranged in a cone-like strobilus at the end of upright stems. The club-shaped appearance of these fertile stems gives the clubmosses their common name. Lycopods reproduce asexually by spores. The plants have an underground sexual phase that produces

gamete A gamete (; , ultimately ) is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as sex cells. In species that produce ...

s, and this alternates in the lifecycle with the spore-producing plant. The prothallium developed from the spore is a subterranean mass of tissue of considerable size, and bears both the male and female organs (

antheridia An antheridium is a haploid structure or organ producing and containing male gametes (called ''antherozoids'' or sperm). The plural form is antheridia, and a structure containing one or more antheridia is called an androecium. Androecium is also ...

and archegonia). They are more commonly distributed vegetatively, though, through above- or below-ground rhizomes.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Lycopodium'' was first published by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his Nobility#Ennoblement, ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalise ...

in 1753. He placed it in the Musci (mosses) along with genera such as ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'', and included species such as ''Lycopodium selaginoides'', now placed in the genus ''

Selaginella ''Selaginella'' is the sole genus of vascular plants in the family Selaginellaceae, the spikemosses or lesser clubmosses. This family is distinguished from Lycopodiaceae (the clubmosses) by having scale-leaves bearing a ligule and by having ...

'' in a different order from ''Lycopodium''. Different sources use substantially different circumscriptions of the genus. Traditionally, ''Lycopodium'' was considered to be the only extant genus in the family

, so includes all the species in the family, although sometimes excluding one placed in the monotypic genus ''

Phylloglossum ''Phylloglossum'', a genus in the clubmoss family Lycopodiaceae, is a small plant superficially resembling a tiny grass plant, growing with a rosette of slender leaves 2–5 cm long from an underground bulb-like root. It has a single centr ...

''. Other sources divide Lycopodiaceae species into three broadly defined genera, ''Lycopodium'', ''Huperzia'' (including ''Phylloglossum'') and ''Lycopodiella''. In this approach, ''Lycopodium''

sensu lato ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...

has about 40 species. In the

classification of 2016 (PPG I), the broadly defined genus is equivalent to the subfamily

, and ''Lycopodium'' is one of 16 genera in the family Lycopodiaceae, with between 9 and 15 species.

Species

Using the narrow

circumscription Circumscription may refer to: *Circumscribed circle * Circumscription (logic) *Circumscription (taxonomy) *Circumscription theory, a theory about the origins of the political state in the history of human evolution proposed by the American anthrop ...

of ''Lycopodium'', in which it is one of nine genera in the subfamily Lycopodioideae, the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' recognized the following species : *''

Lycopodium clavatum ''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 Un ...

'' L. – stag's-horn clubmoss; subcosmopolitan *''

Lycopodium diaphanum ''Lycopodium'' (from Greek ''lykos'', wolf and ''podion'', diminutive of ''pous'', foot) is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines or creeping cedars, in the family Lycopodiaceae. Two very different circumscriptions of the genus are i ...

'' (P.Beauv.) Sw. –

Tristan da Cunha Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena a ...

*''

Lycopodium japonicum ''Lycopodium japonicum'' is a common species of plant in the genus '' Lycopodium'' in the clubmoss family. It is widespread in China, Japan and countries of Southern Asia. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of spr ...

'' Thunb. – eastern Asia (Japan west and south to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and Sri Lanka) *''

Lycopodium lagopus ''Lycopodium lagopus'', commonly known as one-cone club-moss, is an arctic and subarctic species of plants in the genus ''Lycopodium'' in the clubmoss family. It is widespread in cold, northerly regions: Canada, Greenland, Russia, Scandinavia, a ...

'' (Laest. ex C.Hartm.) Zinserl. ex Kuzen. – circumpolar arctic and subarctic *'' Lycopodium papuanum'' Nessel – New Guinea *'' Lycopodium venustulum'' Gaudich. –

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Western Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

, the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the ...

*''

Lycopodium vestitum ''Lycopodium'' (from Greek ''lykos'', wolf and ''podion'', diminutive of ''pous'', foot) is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines or creeping cedars, in the family Lycopodiaceae. Two very different circumscriptions of the genus are i ...

'' Desv. ex Poir. – northwest South America (Andes) Using the broader circumscription of the genus, '' Plants of the World Online'' recognized the following additional ''Lycopodium'' species . Using the narrow circumscription of the genus ''Lycopodium'', the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' divided them among eight other genera: *''Lycopodium alpinum'' L. = ''

Diphasiastrum alpinum ''Diphasiastrum alpinum'', the alpine clubmoss, is a species of clubmoss. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his Flora Lapponica, 1737, from specimens obtained in Finland. Distribution It has a circumpolar distribution across much of the ...

'' *''Lycopodium annotinum'' L. = ''

Spinulum annotinum ''Spinulum annotinum'', synonym ''Lycopodium annotinum'', known as interrupted club-moss, or stiff clubmoss, is a species of clubmoss native to forests of the colder parts of North America (Greenland, St. Pierre & Miquelon, all 10 provinces an ...

'' *''Lycopodium assurgens'' Fée = ''

Austrolycopodium assurgens ''Austrolycopodium'' is a genus of Lycopodiopsida, lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, ...

'' *''Lycopodium carolinum'' (Lawalrée) J.P.Roux = ''

Diphasiastrum carolinum ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus ''Lycopodium'', ...

'' *''Lycopodium casuarinoides'' Spring = '' Lycopodiastrum casuarinoides'' *''Lycopodium complanatum'' L. = ''

Diphasiastrum complanatum ''Diphasiastrum complanatum'', common names groundcedar, creeping jenny, or northern running-pine, is a species of clubmoss native to dry coniferous forests in colder northerly parts of the world. Under the original name ''Lycopodium complanatum ...

'' *''Lycopodium confertum'' Willd. = ''

Austrolycopodium confertum ''Austrolycopodium'' is a genus of lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, sinking it in ...

'' *''Lycopodium dendroideum'' Michx. = ''

Dendrolycopodium dendroideum ''Dendrolycopodium dendroideum'', synonym ''Lycopodium dendroideum'', known as tree groundpine, is a North American species of clubmoss. It is part of a complex of species colloquially known as groundpine, which taxa were formerly lumped into th ...

'' *''Lycopodium deuterodensum'' Herter = '' Pseudolycopodium densum'' *''Lycopodium digitatum'' Dill. ex A.Braun = ''

Diphasiastrum digitatum ''Diphasiastrum digitatum'' is known as groundcedar, running cedar or crowsfoot, along with other members of its genus, but the common name fan clubmoss can be used to refer to it specifically. It is the most common species of ''Diphasiastrum'' i ...

'' *''Lycopodium erectum'' Phil. = ''

Austrolycopodium erectum ''Austrolycopodium erectum'' is a species in the club moss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus ''Austrolycopodium'' is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), but not in other classifications which submerge the ge ...

'' *''Lycopodium fastigiatum'' R.Br. = ''

Austrolycopodium fastigiatum ''Austrolycopodium fastigiatum'', synonym ''Lycopodium fastigiatum'', commonly known as alpine club moss or mountain club moss, is a species of club moss native to New Zealand and Australia. The genus ''Austrolycopodium'' is accepted in the Pteri ...

'' *''Lycopodium fawcettii'' F.E.Lloyd & Underw. = ''

Diphasiastrum fawcettii ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus ''Lycopodium'', ...

'' *''Lycopodium gayanum'' Brongn. = ''

Diphasium gayanum ''Diphasium'' is a genus of lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, sinking it into ''Lyc ...

'' *''Lycopodium habereri'' House = '' Diphasiastrum habereri'' *''Lycopodium hickeyi'' (Beitel & R.C.Moran) W.H.Wagner, Beitel & R.C.Moran = ''

Dendrolycopodium hickeyi ''Dendrolycopodium hickeyi'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Lycopodium hickeyi'') known as Hickey's tree club-moss or Pennsylvania clubmoss, is a North American species of clubmoss in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is native to eastern and Central ...

'' *''Lycopodium juniperoideum'' Sw. = '' Dendrolycopodium juniperoideum'' *''Lycopodium jussiaei'' Desv. = ''

Diphasium jussiaei ''Diphasium'' is a genus of lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, sinking it into ''Lyc ...

'' *''Lycopodium lawessonianum'' B.Øllg. = ''

Diphasium lawessonianum ''Diphasium'' is a genus of lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae The Lycopodiaceae (class Lycopodiopsida, order Lycopodiales) are an old family of vascular plants, including all of the core clubmosses and firmosses, comprising 16 accepted ...

'' *''Lycopodium madeirense'' J.H.Wilce = ''

Diphasiastrum madeirense ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus ''Lycopodium'', ...

'' *''Lycopodium magellanicum'' (P.Beauv.) Sw. = ''

Austrolycopodium magellanicum ''Austrolycopodium magellanicum'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Lycopodium magellanicum'', the Magellanic clubmoss, is a species of vascular plant in the club moss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus ''Austrolycopodium'' is accepted in the Pteridoph ...

'' *''Lycopodium multispicatum'' J.H.Wilce = ''

Diphasiastrum multispicatum ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus '' Lycopodium' ...

'' *''Lycopodium nikoense'' Franch. & Sav. = '' Diphasiastrum nikoense'' *''Lycopodium obscurum'' L. = '' Dendrolycopodium obscurum'' *''Lycopodium oellgaardi'' (Stoor, Boudrie, Jérôme, K.Horn & Bennert) B.Bock = '' Diphasiastrum oellgaardii'' *''Lycopodium paniculatum'' Desv. = ''

Austrolycopodium paniculatum ''Austrolycopodium'' is a genus of lycophytes in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, sinking it in ...

'' *''Lycopodium platyrhizoma'' J.H.Wilce = '' Diphasiastrum platyrhizoma'' *''Lycopodium sabinifolium'' Willd. = '' Diphasiastrum sabinifolium'' *''Lycopodium scariosum'' G.Forst. = ''

Diphasium scariosum ''Diphasium scariosum'', synonym ''Lycopodium scariosum'', commonly known as spreading clubmoss or creeping club moss, is a species in the club moss family Lycopodiaceae. The genus '' Diphasium'' is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group c ...

'' *''Lycopodium sitchense'' Rupr. = ''

Diphasiastrum sitchense ''Diphasiastrum sitchense'', the Sitka clubmoss, is a pteridophyte species native to northern North America and northeastern Asia. It is a terrestrial herb spreading by stolons running on the surface or the ground or just slightly below the surfa ...

'' *''Lycopodium spectabile'' Blume = '' Pseudodiphasium volubile'' *''Lycopodium subarcticum'' V.N.Vassil. = ''

'' ssp. ''alpestre'' *''Lycopodium thyoides'' Willd. = ''

Diphasiastrum thyoides ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant Family (biology), family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus ...

'' *''Lycopodium tristachyum'' Pursh = ''

Diphasiastrum tristachyum ''Diphasiastrum tristachyum'', commonly known as blue clubmoss, blue ground-cedar, ground pine, deep-rooted running-pine or ground cedar, is a North American and Eurasian species of clubmoss. In North America, it has been found from Newfoundland ...

'' *''Lycopodium volubile'' G.Forst. = '' Pseudodiphasium volubile'' *''Lycopodium yueshanense'' C.M.Kuo = '' Diphasiastrum yueshanense'' *''Lycopodium zanclophyllum'' J.H.Wilce = '' Diphasiastrum zanclophyllum'' *''Lycopodium'' × ''zeilleri'' (Rouy) Greuter & Burdet = ''

Diphasiastrum zeilleri ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus ''Lycopodium'', ...

Uses

The spores of ''Lycopodium'' species are harvested and are sold as

lycopodium powder Lycopodium powder is a yellow-tan dust-like powder, consisting of the dry spores of clubmoss plants, or various fern relatives. When it is mixed with air, the spores are highly flammable and are used to create dust explosions as theatrical spec ...

. ''Lycopodium '' sp. herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea or externally as compresses for treatment of disorders of the locomotor system, skin, liver and bile, kidneys and urinary tract, infections, rheumatism, and gout, though claims of efficacy are unproven. It has also been used in some United States government chemical warfare test programs such as

Operation Dew Operation Dew refers to two separate field trials conducted by the United States in the 1950s. The tests were designed to study the behavior of aerosol-released biological agents. General description Operation Dew took place from 1951 to 1952 off ...

. U.S. National Research Council, Subcommittee on Zinc Cadmium Sulfide
''Toxicologic Assessment of the Army's Zinc Cadmium Sulfide Dispersion''
National Academies Press, 1997, pp. 44–77, . ''Lycopodium'' powder was also used to determine the molecular size of

oleic acid Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish. In chemical terms, oleic acid is classified as a monounsaturated omeg ...

References

External links

Species list
(takes a broad view of the genus, including the species here separated in the genus ''

Diphasiastrum ''Diphasiastrum'' is a genus of clubmosses in the plant family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. It is closely related to the genus '' Lycopodium'' ...

'')
Burning ''Lycopodium'' Powder: Simulating a Grain Elevator Explosion
by Kevin A. Boudreaux {{Taxonbar, from=Q624488 Lycopodiaceae Lycophyte genera