The Common Club Moss is often very abundant upon the moors of the North of England, and also in Scotland and in Wales. On account of its creeping habit of growth the plant is often overlooked, and few people realize that this Club Moss is really very common. Sometimes single plants cover huge areas of ground, and many of the trailing stems are several feet in length. The spores of this, in common with those of other Lycopodiums, are inflammable; and in the old days these were used in the manufacture of fireworks.
_Lycopodium selago._ In this case the specific name of _selago_ was that formerly given to all the Club Mosses. The Fir Club Moss.
This is a very pretty little plant, which, on account of its upright habit of growth, attracts a good deal of attention. The stems vary from about three to six inches in height, and these rise upwards from a main stem which sometimes, but not always, trails along the ground for a short distance. The branches are very thickly covered with leaves which overlap one another, and are very stiff. Indeed, the whole plant is covered with the foliage, which, being narrow and pointed, is almost bristle-like in appearance. The colour of the foliage is bright green. The spore capsules are present in the axils of the uppermost leaves of the branches, and these are kidney-shaped. The Fir Club Moss is also very commonly propagated by means of special little buds which appear at the tops of the branches. When these are developed they fall to the ground, and give rise to fresh plants.
The Fir Club Moss is probably almost as common as the Common Club Moss. It should, however, be looked for on elevated moors and the slopes of mountains.
[Illustration: Lycopodium selago. The Fir Club Moss.]
_Lycopodium inundatum._ Here the specific name has reference to the fact that this Club Moss grows in situations which are often under water. The Marsh Club Moss.
This is a peculiarly interesting species, in that it is the only British Club Moss to be found in lowland districts. The stems of the plants are prostrate, and these are so closely fixed to the soil with strong roots that it is almost impossible to remove a specimen without taking away the soil as well. The fertile branches rise in a very direct manner to the height of two or three inches, and these, like the main stems, are thickly covered with narrow leaves, which have sharp points. The fructification is produced in the autumn, the capsules being borne between leaf-like scales at the upper part of the shoot. A singular thing about the Marsh Club Moss is that one end of the creeping stem is always decaying, and an individual plant is rarely more than a few inches in length. In the winter only the growing tip of the plant remains, and from this the whole of the new development arises.