Where does common club moss grow, and how does it spread?

Common club moss (Lycopodium clavatum), also known as running pine or stag’s horn moss, is native to open, dry woods and rocky places throughout the Northern Hemisphere.1

Regarding its growth and spread, the plant features creeping stems that can reach up to 3 meters (about 10 feet) in length, accompanied by ascending branches that grow approximately 10 cm (4 inches) high. As a lycophyte, it is a seedless vascular plant that reproduces via spores. These spores are produced in kidney-shaped capsules located at the base of specialized leaves, which are arranged in pairs along a stalklike structure called a strobilus. Once released, these spores facilitate the plant's life cycle, which involves an alternation between a spore-producing sporophyte phase and a sexual gametophyte phase.1