Common Name: Common Club Moss

General Information

Lycopodium clavatum is an evergreen perennial plant that is related to the ferns. It produces a much-branched, creeping main stem, rooting at long intervals, usually up to 1.5 metres long[]. Erect shoots can be up to 60cm tall[].
The plant is commonly harvested from the wild for medicinal use and the various uses of its spores. Both the spores and the aerial parts of the plant are collected in commercial quantities from the wild and traded internationally[].

Known Hazards

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[].
Lycopodium clavatum spores used as dusting powder can cause asthma and other allergy problems (itchy skin, eye and nose problems) when used over a long period[]. The powder is safe for consumers who are exposed to small amounts, but hepatotoxic effects have been observed[].
When the spores enter surgical wounds a lesion may develop months or even years later[].

Botanical References

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Range

Arctic and temperate zones of N. America, Europe and Asia; C. America; S. America; Caribbean; scattered through tropical Africa and tropical Asia.

Habitat

Moorland, fields and pastures[]. Cool, wet climates where it prefers open habitats such as mountain sides, moors and heaths, clearings and road cuttings in cloud forest. In the tropics it grows in highland areas above 1,300 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.10 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant with a very wide range, found at sea level in the Arctic circle to highland areas above 1,300 metres in the tropics. It is hardy to at least -15°c[].
Thrives in a rough spongy peat in a shady position[]. Requires a humid atmosphere[].
Lycopodium clavatum is very variable, and there is a nearly continuous series of forms from compact plants with parallel branches and firm, imbricate leaves to amply branched plants with diverging branches and soft, spreading leaves. The former are typical for cold and exposed habitats, the latter for warm and sheltered locations[].
Terrestrial members of this genus are hard to establish. The roots are delicate and liable to rot, most water being absorbed through the foliage[].
The subterranean prothallus develops slowly and reaches sexual maturity after 6 - 15 years and may live for 20 years[]. It is top-shaped, differentiated into various tissues and lives in close symbiosis with a fungus, possibly a species of Pythium. Without the fungus, the development of the gametophyte stops at an early, few-celled stage. Once the sporophyte has established, it can spread rapidly by the long creeping stems[]. If competition with higher growing plants is not strong, it is long-lived and slowly forms large colonies[].
The spores are used as a reference in pollen traps used to monitor pollen in the air to establish hay-fever risks[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].
Although looking more like a moss, this genus is closely related to the ferns[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

With its wide native range, the plant has found a wide range of medicinal uses around the world. There has been considerable research into the active constituents of the plant.
The aerial parts contain dihydrocaffeic acid, which has a blood pressure lowering effect, as well as alkaloids such as lycopodine, chinoline, clavatine, clavatoxine and annotinine, which all cause an increase in blood pressure[].
Lycopodine also stimulates the peristaltic movements of the intestine and contraction of the uterus[].
The aerial parts also contain derivatives of cinnamonic acid and flavonoids[].
A methanol extract of the plant showed strong prolyl-endopeptidase-inhibiting activity and is expected to have activity against loss of memory[].
The spores contain about 50% greenish yellow acidic oil, 3% sugar, 1 - 4% ash and a trace of a volatile alkaloid[].

A decoction of the plant is analgesic, antirheumatic, carminative, mildly diuretic, stomachic and tonic[, , , , , , , , , ]. It is used internally in the treatment of urinary and kidney disorders, rheumatic arthritis, catarrhal cystitis, gastritis, dysentery, malaria etc[, , ]. The whole plant is chewed to induce vomiting after food poisoning or acute stomach pain[]. The sun-dried, pulverized leaves are mixed with plantain and milk, and the mixture is given in small doses to children to cure diarrhoea and dysentery[].
It is applied externally to skin diseases, wounds, ulcers and irritations[, ]. The whole plant is grilled with sugarcane and banana skins and applied to cracked lips to promote healing[].
The plant can be harvested all year round and is used fresh or dried[].

The spores of this plant are antipruritic, decongestant, diuretic, stomachic and styptic[].
They are applied externally as a dusting powder to various skin diseases, to wounds or inhaled to stop bleeding noses[, ]. They can also be used to absorb fluids from injured tissues[, ]. The spores are harvested when ripe in late summer[].
The spores can also be used as a dusting powder to prevent pills sticking together[, ].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the spores[]. It has a wide range of applications including dry coughs, mumps and rheumatic pains[, ].

The plant is one of the ingredients of a remedy to alleviate jet lag[].

Other Uses

The spores are water repellent and can be used as a dusting powder to stop things sticking together[, ]. They are also used as a talcum powder and for dressing moulds in iron foundries[].
The spores contain an oil and are highly inflammable. The oil contains 80 - 86% decyl-isopropyl acrylic acid, 3 - 5% glycerine and solid fatty acids (mainly myristic acid)[]. They can also be used as explosives in fireworks and for artificial lightning[, , , , , ].

The plant can be used as a mordant in dyeing[, ].

The plant is used to repel insects[].

The stems are made into matting[, ].

Propagation

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[].
The spores can remain dormant for 3 - 8 years. During this period they settle in the soil at a depth of 3 - 10cm and this, combined with a relatively thick spore wall, may retard germination considerably. When spores are exposed to sulphuric acid, germination takes only 2 months[].
Layering of growing tips[].

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