Shining Clubmoss Huperzia lucidula

Shining Clubmoss is a fern-like, herbaceous perennial, evergreen subshrub in the Clubmoss family usually found in the moist forests and ravines of its native eastern North America. Shining Clubmoss is a North Carolina native, fairly common in the Mountains and occasionally found in the Piedmont. This plant has stems that lie upon the ground, but rise up and extend to 8 inches high at the tip. The trailing stems, up to 3 feet in length, will form a mat. The leaves along the stems are small. The plant does not bear flowers, but some of the leaves will develop reproductive spores in summer. The species name comes from the Latin for shining in reference to the plant’s bright green color

Shining Clubmoss prefers dappled sunlight or medium shade, moist or dry-mesic conditions, and an acidic soil that contains some decaying organic matter. It is typically surrounded by a protective layer of leaf litter. 

The plant can spread in a number of ways. Spores are released in the fall and distributed by the wind. Also in the fall, small green buds (gemmae) appear on the stems. The gemmae become detached from the stems and distributed by wind or water to moist ground where they develop fibrous roots. Also, the trailing stems of mature plants can develop fibrous roots when they establish contact with moist ground. Development from spores is a slow, hit or miss, process that takes several years to complete and requires the presence of soil fungi. It is easier to propagate new plants by using the gemmae of mature plants.

The Clubmoss family derive from some of the oldest vascular plants on Earth. Tree-size specimens of clubmoss occurred during the Carboniferous era, eventually forming part of the coal fields of today.

The Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on clubmosses including Huperzia lucidula.

Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: 

No known diseases or insect pests.