''Dendrolycopodium dendroideum'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

''Lycopodium dendroideum'', known as tree groundpine, is a North American species of

clubmoss Lycopodiopsida is a class of vascular plants known as lycopods, lycophytes or other terms including the component lyco-. Members of the class are also called clubmosses, firmosses, spikemosses and quillworts. They have dichotomously branching s ...

. It is part of a complex of species colloquially known as groundpine, which taxa were formerly lumped into the species '' Lycopodium obscurum''. The species is native to Russia and also to the colder parts of North America (all states and provinces in Canada except

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the '' Nunavut Act'' and the '' Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act'' ...

; northern and east-central United States including Alaska). The genus ''

Dendrolycopodium The genus ''Dendrolycopodium'' is a clubmoss genus in the family Lycopodiaceae. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it is placed in the subfamily Lycopodioideae. Some sources do not recognize the genus, sinking it ...

'' is accepted in the

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, or PPG, is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the classification of pteridophytes (lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relatio ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I), but not in other classifications, which submerge the genus in ''

Lycopodium ''Lycopodium'' (from Greek ''lykos'', wolf and ''podion'', diminutive of ''pous'', foot) is a genus of clubmosses, also known as ground pines or creeping cedars, in the family Lycopodiaceae. Two very different circumscriptions of the genus are ...

''. ''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.Flora of North America, ''Lycopodium dendroideum'' Michaux, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 282. 1803. Prickly tree club-moss, lycopode dendroïde
/ref>

Uses

Historically, this and other related clubmosses had been collected for decorative

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

greenery. Overharvesting clubmosses destroys the slow growing, increasingly rare plant. The spore of this species was also collected as

Lycopodium powder Lycopodium powder is a yellow-tan dust-like powder, consisting of the dry spores of clubmoss plants, or various fern relatives. When it is mixed with air, the spores are highly flammable and are used to create dust explosions as theatrical sp ...

for use in early photography, although this was not the preferred species for the purpose.

References

Lycopodiaceae Flora of North America Flora of Russia Plants described in 1803 {{Lycophyte-stub