Herb: Stiff Club Moss


Latin name: Lycopodium annotinum


Family: Lycopodiaceae (Club-moss Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Fern

Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Habitat of Stiff Club Moss:

Moors on mountains from 50 - 800 metres in northern Britain.

Other uses of the herb:

The plant has been mixed with clay and used to fill the gaps between logs in log cabins. The plant has been mixed with potting compost to act as a fertilizer and make plants growing in it healthier.

Propagation of Stiff Club Moss:

Spores - best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Do not plant outside until the ferns are at least 2 years old and then only in a very well sheltered position. The spores are generally produced in abundance but are difficult to grow successfully. Layering of growing tips.

Cultivation of the herb:

Moors on mountains from 50 - 800 metres in northern Britain.

Medicinal use of Stiff Club Moss:

None known

Known hazards of Lycopodium annotinum:

The plant contains lycopodine, which is poisonous by paralysing the motor nerves. It also contains clavatine which is toxic to many mammals. The spores, however, are not toxic.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.