See text

Lycopodium, the principal genus of the Lycopodiaceae, a natural order of the fern-allies (see pteridophyta). They are flowerless herbs, with an erect, prostrate or creeping widely-branched stem, with small simple leaves that thickly cover the stem and branches. The fertile leaves are arranged in cones and bear spore-cases (sporangia) in their axils containing spores of one kind only. The prothallium developed from the spore is a subterranean mass of tissue of considerable size and bears both the male and female organs (antheridium and archegonia).

There are about a hundred species widely distributed in temperate and tropical climates; five occur in Britain on heaths and moors, chiefly in mountainous districts, and are known as clubmosses. The most common species, L. clavatum, is also known as Stag-horn Moss .

Lycopodium can be found throughout much of the world, though it is confined to mountains in the tropics.

Uses of the spores

The term Lycopodium is also used to describe the yellowish, powdery spores of certain club mosses, especially Lycopodium clavatum , used in fireworks and explosives and as a covering for pills.

Links

• Burning Lycopodium Powder: Simulating a Grain Elevator Explosion by Kevin A. Boudreaux