Lycopodiaceae

Clubmoss Family

Lycopodiaceae

• 10-15 genera• 350-400 species• Consists of a rhizome with adventitious roots• Small, creeping, terrestrial, vascular plants, which

lack flowers and reproduce sexually by spores. The sporophyte consists of true roots, an aerial stem and scale-like leaves

Lycopodium annotinumBristly clubmoss

-Horizontal stems grow up to 40”, branching, creeping on ground, with upright groups of branching stems -Vertical stem stiff, erect; circular or oval in cross-section; bristly with few branches- Leaves 1/3" long, pointing downward-Cones individual, slim and pointed, yellow, 1 ½ “

Lycopodium clavatumRunning Clubmoss

• It is a spore-bearing vascular plant, growing mainly along the ground with stems up to 1 m long

• Stems have many branches, and have small spirally-arranged leaves -The horizontal stems produce roots allowing the stem to grow indefinitely along the ground

• Leaves are 3-5 mm long. The branches bearing spore cones turn erect, reaching 5-15 cm above ground

• Cones are yellow-green, 2-3 cm long and 5 mm broad

Lycopodium spp.Club mosses

• Have horizontal branching stems, both underground and above

• These plants produce spores in a cone like structure at the end of the stem. Once the spores germinate, they develop into a thallus which then produce male and female egg cells. This can take up to twenty years to complete.

Huperzia lucidulaShining firmoss

• They grow 14-20 cm long, sometimes up to 1 m long

• Leaves are 7-11 mm long, narrow, shiny, and evergreen. The edges are irregularly toothed. The sporangia (spore cases) are in the upper leaves

• Roots of this plant grow from a creeping, branching, underground rhizome

• Bright, vivid green color

Lycopodium dendroideum/hickeyiGroundpines

• Spreads by subterranean horizontal stems, each upright shoot appearing somewhat like a small individual tree.

• The lateral branches are round, not flattened.

Diphasiastrum complanatum/digitatumNorthern & Wirey groundcedar

• A creeping, evergreen, rhizomatous clubmoss; has the appearance of a miniature tree

• Vertical stem– branchlets regularly fan-

shaped, generally on a horizontal plane, flat in cross section, blade-like, their undersides dull, pale, flat; their uppersides green, flat, shiny.

• Horizontal stems are on or just below the surface

• Cones 2-4 per upright shoot, ½"-1½" long; has elongated sterile tip which occurs on about half the specimens. Cone stalks are 1¾"-5" long.

DIGITATUM

COMPLANATUM

References• http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/lycopodi.htm• http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/ferns/lycopodann-WIP.html• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lycopodium_clavatum• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lycopodium_clavatum_151207.jpg• http://cloudbridge.org/plants/lycopod-2.jpg• http://www.voyageurcountry.com/htmls/floweringplants/plants/clubmoss.html• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Shining_firmoss.jp

g/735px-Shining_firmoss.jpg• http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/pteridophytes/lycden01.htm• http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LYHI2• http://www.ncwildflower.org/images/plants/Diphasiastrum_digitatum_pl

ant.jpg• http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/ferns/diphasiastrumdi.html• http://www.atlas-roslin.pl/foto/mr/mr-diphasiastrum_complanatum_s121

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