Lycopodium annotinum : Bristly Club-moss

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Pteridophyta (spore bearing)

Class: Lycopodiopsida (club-moss class)

Family: Lycopodiaceae (Club-moss Family)

Genera: Lycopodium (Club-moss) (Gk.Lyco=wolf+podos=foot in reference to either the branch shoot tips or the roots to a wolfs paw.)

Species: annotinum

English Name(s):

Bristly Club-moss, Stiff Club-moss

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Erect stems unbranched to twice-forked, to 20cm or more high.
• Horizontal, leafy, rooting stems creeping along or near ground, mostly unbranched, up to 1 metre long.

Leaves:

• Numerous and bristly, needle-like, 3-11mm long, usually spreading, in 8 vertical rows.

Reproductive Parts:

• Strobili (spore cones) sessile (without neck) at ends of erect stems.

Seed:

• Spores are very rich in oil are strongly water repelent and are highly flammable.

Not to Be Confused With:

• Lycopodium clavatum (Common club-moss). L. annotinum is distinguished by having sessile strobili and lacking small hair at end of leaves.

Physiology:

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• Evergreen

Animal Uses:

Habitat:

• Moist forests, thickets, clearings, subalpine forests, and exposed rocky and peaty places.

Modern:

Industrial:

• Spores are very rich in oil and are highly flammable.

Medicinal:

• Spores have been used as a dusting powder in surgery, baby powder, and various skin problems, including eczema and chaffed skin.
• The spores repel water so strongly that a hand dusted with them can be dipped in water without becoming wet.
• Their use as an anti-absorbent is limited, as they are known to irritate mucous membranes.

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

Industrial:

Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Other:

Folklore:

• Cree used the spores to divine the future of sick people. The spores were dropped in a container of water, and if they moved toward the sun the patient would survive.

Industrial:

• At one time the spores were used by photographers and theater performers as flash powder.
• The Carrier used to put the spores in the nose to cause bleeding and cure headaches.

Medicinal:

Food: