''Huperzia porophila'', the rock clubmoss or rock firmoss, grows throughout the Appalachian province of the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

and central Canada, from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

south to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. It is rare east of the Appalachians, being most common in a north–south belt along the western plateau area. ''Huperzia porophila'' grows only on or over rock and requires cool, moist, shaded, acid spots. It is a beautiful sight growing over boulders and outcrops. It is often confused with the shining firmoss (''

Huperzia lucidula ''Huperzia lucidula'' (also called the shining firmoss or shining clubmoss) is a bright, evergreen, rhizomatous clubmoss of the genus ''Huperzia''. They grow in loose tufts 14–20 cm long, occasionally up to 1 m long. The leaves are 7–1 ...

'') whose range it largely shares and which also often grows on rocks. The rock firmoss leaves, 3–8 mm long, are generally not shiny like those of the shining firmoss, and the ascending 12–15 cm stems are seldom branched. Unlike ''H. lucidula'', it only grows as individual plants and not as dense colonies. One of the best sites for viewing this species is in the

Hocking Hills The Hocking Hills is a deeply dissected area of the Allegheny Plateau in Appalachian Ohio, primarily in Hocking County, that features cliffs, gorges, rock shelters, and waterfalls. The relatively extreme topography in this area is due to the ...

in southeast

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.Flora of North America, ''Huperzia porophila'' (F. E. Lloyd & L. Underwood) Holub, 1985.
/ref> This species is of hybrid origin, the parents being ''

'' and ''

Huperzia selago ''Huperzia selago'', the northern firmoss or fir clubmoss, is a vascular plant in the family Lycopodiaceae. It is small-ish, sturdy, stiff and upright and densely scale-leaved. This plant is an evergreen, perennial pteridophyte. The spores are ...

''. ''H. porophila'' hybridizes with ''H. lucidula'' to produce the sterile hybrid ''H.'' × ''bartleyi''. Huperzia porophila-2a

References

External links

NRCS: United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Huperzia porophila''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11976142 porophila Firmoss, Rock Plants described in 1900 Flora of Ontario