Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Ornamental - In the past, club mosses have been used as garland for Christmas decorations. Medicine - Wide range of medicinal uses. The plant is analgesic, antirheumatic, carminative, mildly diuretic, stomachic and tonic. It is used internally in the treatment of urinary and kidney disorders, rheumatic arthritis, catarrhal cystitis, gastritis, dysentery, malaria etc. A homeopathic remedy is made from the spores.
Temperate Northern Hemisphere to Tropical Mountains
Thrives in coniferous forests, among dry moss, at an elevation of 700-1800 m.
It is perennial herb with creeping underground stems.
Stem is slender, creeping, and branched, up to 100 cm long. Above-ground stem is erect, 20-25 cm tall, branched, flattened, and covered with dense leaves.
Leaves are spirally arranged, lance-shaped, 0.4-0.6 cm long and about 0.1 cm wide, leathery with transparent hairs, attached directly to the stem.
It is a spore-producing plant, does not produce flowers.
It produces spore-bearing cones called strobili.
Spore production: typically in summer.