Dendrolycopodium dendroideum
Species of spore-bearing plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dendrolycopodium dendroideum, synonym Lycopodium dendroideum, known as tree groundpine,[1] 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 the species Lycopodium obscurum.[2][3] The species is native to Russia and also to the colder parts of North America (all states and provinces in Canada except Nunavut; northern and east-central United States including Alaska).[4] The genus Dendrolycopodium is accepted in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I),[5] but not in other classifications, which submerge the genus in Lycopodium.[6]
| Dendrolycopodium dendroideum | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Lycophytes |
| Class: | Lycopodiopsida |
| Order: | Lycopodiales |
| Family: | Lycopodiaceae |
| Genus: | Dendrolycopodium |
| Species: | D. dendroideum |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrolycopodium dendroideum (Michx.) A. Haines | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Dendrolycopodium dendroideum prefers humus-rich, sandy, moist but not completely saturated soils. It is very similar to D. obscurum except for side shoots that are round in cross-section rather than flat, and having leaves all the same size.[7]
Uses
Historically, this and other related clubmosses had been collected for decorative Christmas greenery. Overharvesting clubmosses destroys the slow growing, increasingly rare plant.[citation needed] The spore of this species was also collected as lycopodium powder for use in early photography, although this was not the preferred species for the purpose.[citation needed]
