Running Clubmoss is an evergreen, native, fern-like, herbacious pernnial in the club moss family. Although classified as a fern, it is not a true fern, but instead a member of the club moss family. It reproduces by spores, with sporangia found on its cones or leaf axils. Running Clubmoss has a horizontal, arching stem and branched fertile stems heavily covered in linear leaves. It also has upright branches 6 to 8 inches tall that mark this species. Running Clubmoss is sometimes found in road banks, open forests, and, occasionally, in the mountains of North Carolina at elevations of 4000 feet or more. It is classified as a plant vulnerable to extinction in the state. The genus name comes from the Greek words lykos meaning wolf and podion meaning foot in reference to some purported resemblance to a wolf’s foot. Running Clubmoss does best in partial shade and can do quite well with only 2 hours of sunlight a day. It prefers moist, acidic soil, but tolerates dry soil. It has the reputation as a plant that is difficult to grow. Running Clubmoss is not recommended for the home landscape. Club moss as a genus are extremely slow growing plants and may take up to 20 years to make another mature plant from spore production and spreading. In the past, club mosses have been used as garland for Christmas decorations. However, because of their slow growth they should not be harvested. Additionally, they do not transplant well. Therefore, it is best to appreciate these beautiful, evergreen ground covers in their natural habitats. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains
Growth rate
Slow
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Creeping; Erect
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Needled Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Spreading, ascending needle or scale-like leaves on the distal third of the branches.
Flower detail
No flowers. The plant reproduces by spores.
Fruit size
> 3 inches long
Fruit detail
Spores cones are 2-6 inches tall and yellow-green. They display from July to September.
Stem detail
Horizontal stems on substrate surface with clusters of upright shoots and a dominant main shoot with 3 to 6 branches mostly in lower half of the plant.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Alaska, Canada, south to Georgia and west to California.
Distribution
Worldwide in the northern hemisphere, northern South America, and eastern Africa.
Wildlife value
This plant attracts mammals.
Attracts
Small Mammals
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Uses (ethnobotany)
Spores have been used as a powder for infants and to protect raw skin. It has been used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food, an ornamental plant and a medicine.