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Lycopodium selago

Common name:	Fir Clubmoss	Family:	Lycopodiaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant is an active narcotic poison[172, 192].
Range:	Arctic and N. temperate zone, including Britain, south to Spain, the Himalayas and Oregon.
Habitat:	Usually in open habitats on heaths, moors, mountain grasslands, rock ledges and mountain tops to 1300 metres[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Huperzia selago[B,DUTCH,H,HPIC,HORTIPLEX,L,P] Huperzia selago var. selago[B,P] Urostachys selago[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dennenwolfsklauw [D], Fir Club-moss [B], Fir Clubmoss [P,L], Selago [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	selago = Lycopodium selago;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lycopodiales. Club-moss family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Spain

Physical Characteristics

Fern growing to 0.25m. It is hardy to zone 2. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

The plant is edible[161, 177]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Emetic; Homeopathy; Hypnotic; Purgative.

The plant is hypnotic[192]. Chewing three stems is said to induce mild intoxication whilst eight can cause unconsciousness[192, 213]. The plant has been used as a fast-acting emetic and purgative[257]. A poultice of the whole plant has been applied to the head in the treatment of headaches[257].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the whole plant, collected during the summer[9]. It is used as a laxative and to kill worms[9].

Other Uses

Mordant.

The plant can be used as a mordant in dyeing[172].

Cultivation details

Thrives in a rough spongy peat in a shady position[1]. Requires a humid atmosphere[200].
Terrestrial members of this genus are hard to establish. The roots are delicate and liable to rot, most water being absorbed through the foliage[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].
Although looking more like a moss, this genus is closely related to the ferns[200].

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[200]. The spores of this species are not functional, the plant reproduces only by gemmae[17].
Layering of growing tips[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Huperzia selago (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[L] Scientific and Common Names (some photos) from Lepidoptera and some other life forms
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Huperzia selago var. selago (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for huperzia selago (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[192] Emboden. W. Narcotic Plants Studio Vista 1979 ISBN 0-289-70864-8
A lot of details about the history, chemistry and use of narcotic plants, including hallucinogens, stimulants, inebriants and hypnotics.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Lycopodium serratum

Rick Harig (rharig@razorlogic.com) Wed, 04 Nov 1998 16:47:45

Mr. Morris,

I have been doing research on this topic, Huperzia serrata, at least a component, of this club moss. You may be interested in checking on further medicinal properties of Huperzine A.. It is being investigated as a memory enhancer and a possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease. I'm not sure of the requirements you have in listing properties of plants but you may wish to check it out. I came across your page through a biochem link and was in search of a picture for my senior seminar on Huperzine A. Nobody seems to have much info on the topic, but thanks for the info your page provided.

thanks again, Rick Harig

Cross references: Plants: Huperzia selago, Lycopodium lucidulum, Lycopodium serratum.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lycopodium+selago
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Lycopodium+selago

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