Mysterious clubmoss difficult to rescue
Geri O'Brien Plant Rescue Team

submitted photo/ Geri O'Brien Above and Below: Club moss covers the ground in an area that is generally good for hiking.

Generally there are fewer hikers during the winter months, but for those intrepid lovers of nature who delight in rambling through winter woods, a slope covered in clubmoss rewards the effort. Though striking in appearance throughout the year, the creeping evergreen ground cover dominates the scene when its deciduous neighbors are bare of their leaves.

Clubmoss has other names including running pine, trailing pine and ground cedar, but it is neither a moss, nor a pine nor a cedar. It is more closely related to the ferns, and produces spores in a narrow club-like cone. Like ferns, clubmoss belongs to the oldest group of plants which are thought to date back some 350- 400 million years.

There are hundreds of kinds of clubmoss plants commonly known as "Lycopods" and they are widely distributed in the world. In North America, one of the most abundant is fan clubmoss, having the scientific name, Diphasiastrum digitatum. It ranges through the northeastern USA down to northern Georgia, where it is found in coniferous and hardwood forests. Its habitat also includes abandoned shrubby areas, particularly those having an eastern-facing slope.

Structurally, clubmoss has a branching vertical stem, which, in some species, might remind one of wee pines or cedars and account for the common names. But, unlike pines and cedars, the stem of clubmoss is nonwoody and has no annual growth in diameter. There are also horizontal stems on or just below the ground surface. These stems extend indefinitely, putting down roots along their length, which helps provide the ground cover effect and serves as a means of reproduction similar to that of the runners of strawberry plants.

Another distinguishing feature is the spore-bearing stalk which rises as much as 6 inches above the body of the plant. Hitting a dry spore stalk can cause a burst of yellow spores to fill the air and be carried by the wind, another of the plant's means of spreading. Amazingly, the spores are explosive in high concentrations and were used as flash powder in early photography. Fortunately, those high concentrations do not occur in nature, so there are no spontaneous ignitions of ground litter resulting in forest fires.

Plant reproduction by spores involves a very complex series of stages that must occur in just the right combination of environmental conditions such as temperature, light and moisture. In some species, certain soil fungi must be present in one stage of development. Consequently, propagation of clubmoss is extremely difficult. And sadly, for those of us who would love that attractive ground cover around the yard, it is almost impossible to transplant them successfully.

Because of the complex life cycle and the habitat requirement of undisturbed areas, clubmoss tends to disappear from human-infested locales, to the extent of becoming endangered in some areas. Use of the plant in decorations and wreaths has caused a decline in other locations.

Clubmoss is a somewhat mysterious plant, defying the efforts of humans to propagate it, yet dispersing itself into areas deemed fitting for its presence. There it grows in quiet beauty, seemingly oblivious to the challenges it presents to those who would scientifically classify it and to those who would rescue it from harm¿s way.

Information on the local Plant Rescue Project can be obtained by contacting Jennifer Cordier ( 706-745-9317) ivylog@ alltel.net or Glen Henderson (abletinker@aol.com).