ground pine

plant, Lycopodium obscurum

Also known as: Lycopodium obscurum

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

The term "ground pine" can refer to two distinct types of plants. One is a yellow-flowered European bugle, Ajuga chamaepitys, known for its resinous smell. The other, more commonly associated with the scientific name Lycopodium obscurum, refers to certain club mosses.1

Club mosses are seedless vascular plants belonging to the family Lycopodiaceae. These low, evergreen herbs typically have needlelike or scalelike leaves and often bear conelike clusters called strobili. Dendrolycopodium obscurum, also known as ground pine, is a species native to moist woods and bog margins in North America, with underground-running stems and upright branches. Another plant, ground cedar, can also refer to this type of club moss or a variety of juniper.23

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club moss
Major genera and species
Ground pine (Dendrolycopodium obscurum), a 25-cm- (10-inch-) tall plant, has underground-running stems. It is native to moist woods and bog margins in northern North America, to mountain areas farther south, and to eastern Asia.
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Ground pine (Dendrolycopodium obscurum), a 25-cm- (10-inch-) tall plant, has underground-running stems. It is native to moist woods and bog margins in northern North America, to mountain areas farther south, and to eastern Asia.
Read More