Snowy wooded trails can spawn holiday wreath
December 24, 2000

Sprigs of club mosses may be incorporated in holiday wreaths and other arrangements, but the best place to see them is along the wooded trails at Woodland Dunes.

Clubmosses are not a moss, neither are they related to the evergreens that they resemble. Because they reproduce by spores, like ferns, they are placed in a group called "Fern Allies." The scientific designation fot them is Lycopodium. There are four distinctive species in the forested areas at Woodland Dunes.

The fossil history of these small evergreen plants supposedly dates back about 250 million years ago. Today's clubmosses are the only common living offspring of ancient clubmosses that grew to giant heights and through the ages were compressed, covered and compressed again, resulting in the formation called coal. Burning coal releases the sun's energ which the plants absorbed millions of years ago.

The four species of Clubmosses at Woodland Dunes are small, fully evergreen perennial plants of upright, trailing or creeping growth. They spread by inderground rootstocks. Clubmosses are very difficult to transplant. They are best left where they grow, in the forest.

The plants reproduce by spores, which are often in the form of long spikes at the top of the plant. Great numbers of spores are produced. If one knocks these spikes, in early winter, clouds of yellow dust are released into the air. Because they are microscopic and unifornm in size they have been collected and used in many ways. In the past, used for coating pills and a soothing dusting powder. As they give off a flash explosion, they have been employed as fireworks. In early times they supplied the flash needed in photography.

The four species at Woodland Dunes are readily identified. The most common speciess, found in the upland woods is the ground pine or tree clubmoss. They look like tiny, thickly branched pine tree, which grow as individuals sprouting upward from an underground horizontal stem every six inches or so. They may reach a height of 12 inches. The scientific name: Lycopodium obscurum.

A fairly common species found in the open woods is Running Pine (Lycopdium complanatum), often called Ground Cedar as the leaves are more scale-like. It is topped with long slender stems carrying the spore bearing cones.

Shining Clubmoss (Lycopdium lucidulum) is found along the swamp edges. It is a bright shining green, growing in fairly loose tufts. It has no cones. the spores are tucked in the axils of the upper leaves.

Staghorn Culbmoss (Lycopdium clavatum) is a densely leafed clubmoss that has upright branching stems that resemble deef horns or wolf claws. It is the one most widely used for christmas decoration, to the point where it is no longer common.

The spores are microscopic and are disperesed by the least motion of air. These develop into gametophytes which are the first step in the life cycle. Eventually adult plants develop. It is believed the cycle from spore to mature plant takes about 20 years! The protected acres at Woodland dunes will give them time!