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Archives Food and Garden Notes

Adkins Arboretum Mystery Tuesday: Guess the photo:

January 21, 2025 by Adkins Arboretum
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Happy Mystery Tuesday!  Can you guess what is pictured below?

The answer to last week’s mystery is ground pine or tree clubmoss, Dendrolycopodium obscurum, pictured in photo #2.

Ground pine, or tree clubmoss, is neither a pine nor a moss. but is more closely related to ferns. This flowerless ground cover is rarely more than six inches tall and is a very slow grower.

Found in moist sites in woods, thickets, and clearings in nearly every county in Virginia and northern forests in North America and Asia, ground pines prefer acid soil and cool temperatures. The plant tolerates slow nutrients and can withstand a wide range of light conditions. If temperatures become warmer and the forest becomes drier, this species would be expected to decrease.

Lycopods reproduce asexually by spores. The dried spores of ground pine have been used for flash powder for early photography, and in entertainment, like in magic shows. Historically harvested from the wild for Christmas greens, excessive harvesting has threatened ground pines. States like Indiana and New York protect ground pine by state law.

Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Archives, Food and Garden Notes

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