Groundcedar
Groundcedar (Diphasiastrum complanatum) is a creeping lycophyte with flattened, fan-like branches that resemble the foliage of cedar trees. It forms mats on the floor of northern conifer forests.
Groundcedar (Diphasiastrum complanatum) is a creeping lycophyte with flattened, fan-like branches that resemble the foliage of cedar trees. It forms mats on the floor of northern conifer forests.
๐งฌ Field Guide Specimen: Open Groundcedar in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Diaphoretickes lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Rhizomes and Fans
Long creeping stems run along or just below the surface, sending up flat, branched shoots. The tiny scale-like leaves are arranged in four rows. Spore-bearing cones are held on narrow stalks.
Decorations and Decline
Clubmosses were harvested in large numbers for Christmas wreaths and decorations, and because they grow slowly the practice has reduced wild populations. In some regions they are legally protected.
Lycopodium Powder
Spores of this and related species provide lycopodium powder, a highly flammable dust. See Common Clubmoss.
Groundcedar at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Diphasiastrum complanatum |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Lycopodiopsida |
| Order | Lycopodiales |
| Family | Lycopodiaceae |
| Field Guide group | Diaphoretickes: Plants & Algae |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Flat fan-like branches that look like miniature cedar sprays, rising from creeping runners and topped by candelabra spore cones. |
| Group | Lycophytes |
| Growth form | Creeping with flattened branches |