Lycopodium

plant genus

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July 17, 2026

Quick Summary

Lycopodium is a genus of primitive vascular plants, commonly known as club mosses. These plants are characterized by their reduced or scalelike evergreen leaves and sporangia, which are typically borne in club-shaped structures called strobili.123

The genus Lycopodium belongs to the class Lycopodiopsida, which also includes spike mosses (Selaginella) and quillworts (Isoetes). Lycophytes, the group to which Lycopodium belongs, were once dominant in the ancient coal-forming swamp forests of the Carboniferous Period. While extinct lycophytes included large trees, modern species are small herbaceous plants found in temperate and tropical regions.34

A fine, yellowish, and flammable powder made from Lycopodium spores is also known by the same name and is used in pharmacy.1

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lycophyte
Life cycle
Although Lycopodium gametophytes are rarely found in nature, enough is known about them to recognize two fundamental types, based principally upon their mode of growth and nutrition. In some species the gametophyte becomes a small, green plant with numerous lobes, growing on the surface of the…
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Although Lycopodium gametophytes are rarely found in nature, enough is known about them to recognize two fundamental types, based principally upon their mode of growth and nutrition. In some species the gametophyte becomes a small, green plant with numerous lobes, growing on the surface of the…
Read More