8/30/2023 0 Comments Club moss downloadOther clubmosses, such as this shining clubmoss ( Huperzia lucidula), do not send up strobili for spore production, but they have packets of spores formed in small sporangia at the base of their small scale-like leaves (called microphylls). They also spread by underground stems (called rhizomes) that grow horizontally, and from these, additional small plants will appear a few inches away. However, spore production is not the only means by which clubmosses can spread. Many clubmosses send up “club-like” projections, called strobili, on which spore producing packages (called sporangia) are formed. One reason that they are considered primitive is because their manner of reproduction is by spores rather than by seeds. There are approximately 7 genera and 11 species of clubmosses in South Carolina, and these are indigenous primarily to the Piedmont region and on the coastal plain of the state. ![]() However, some species have adapted to grow well in dry or mesic forests and even at higher elevations on balds, rock outcrops, and in forest openings with more sunlight. Many species of these genera are found growing in areas of moist, acidic forests with seepages but also in bogs and wet prairies. Until around 30 years ago, most clubmosses were placed in the genus Lycopodium, but taxonomists have since split these primitive little plants into a number of genera, and in South Carolina, these include Huperzia, Lycopodiella, Diaphasiastrum, Dendrolycopodium, and of course Lycopodium. ![]() Joey Williamson, ©2019 HGIC, Clemson Extension Genera Ground pines may be found in the wildflower area of the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson. This plant has produced a greenish-yellow strobili, on which its spores will be produced. ![]() Ground pine ( Dendrolycopodium obscurum) is another species that grows well in moist, acidic forests in the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
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