Stiff Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum)

Lycopodium annotinum, the Stiff Clubmoss, is an evergreen clubmoss of cool northern and mountain forests. Its long stems creep across the forest floor and send up rows of stiff, bottlebrush-like shoots, each densely clothed in narrow, sharp-pointed leaves. It is also called interrupted clubmoss, for the visible “waists” that mark each year’s growth on the shoots. Many current floras place it in its own genus, as Spinulum annotinum.

A clubmoss is not a moss. Clubmosses are lycophytes, an ancient group of vascular plants with true roots, stems and leaves, related to the tree-sized lycophytes of the Carboniferous coal forests. Like ferns they reproduce by spores, not seeds. Stiff clubmoss bears its spores in a single cone that sits directly on the tip of an upright shoot, with no stalk.

Stiff clubmoss ranges across the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada, south through the northern states and down the high Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. It is very hard to transplant or propagate, and nursery-propagated stock is rarely available, so this page is an identification and appreciation guide. Never dig it from the wild. Like other clubmosses it contains toxic alkaloids and should never be eaten.

Identification

Stiff clubmoss is one of the “bottlebrush” clubmosses with unbranched or sparingly branched upright shoots. Its stiff, sharp-pointed leaves, yearly constrictions and stalkless cones make it fairly easy to recognize.

Stems

The main stems run along the surface of the ground or just beneath moss and needles, often for several feet, rooting at intervals. Upright shoots rise from them at intervals and are usually 4 to 12 inches tall. They are unbranched or fork once or twice near the base, so a colony looks like rows of small green bottlebrushes rather than tiny trees.

Leaves

The leaves are narrow, about 1/4 inch long, stiff and spreading or slightly bent back, and each ends in a short, sharp point with no hair. The leaf edges often carry tiny teeth toward the tip. At the end of each growing season the new leaves are shorter, leaving a visible constriction on the shoot. These yearly “waists” are the basis of the names interrupted clubmoss and annotinum, Latin for “a year old”. Running clubmoss, by contrast, has soft leaves ending in white hairs.

Spore Cones

Each fertile shoot carries a single cylindrical spore cone (strobilus), about 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches long, sitting directly on the tip of the shoot with no separate stalk. The cones turn yellow and release fine yellow spores in late summer and fall, and old, tan cones can persist through winter.

Life Cycle

Like all clubmosses it has a two-stage life cycle. A spore can develop into a tiny underground gametophyte without chlorophyll that depends on soil fungi and may take many years to mature, and a new green plant grows from it after fertilization. Because this is slow and uncertain, colonies spread mostly by their creeping stems.

Native Range

Stiff clubmoss is circumboreal, growing across northern North America, Europe and Asia. USDA PLANTS records it as native in Alaska and 28 other states: across the northern tier from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York and New England, south in the Rocky Mountains to Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, and in the Appalachians to West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina. It ranges through all of Canada, from the Yukon and British Columbia to Labrador and Newfoundland.

It is common in the boreal forest, the northern Great Lakes states, northern New England and the Adirondacks. Farther south it is a plant of cool, high-elevation forests: spruce-fir and subalpine forests in the Rockies and the southern Appalachians, and the Black Hills in South Dakota. Records from Maryland, New Jersey, Kentucky and similar southern or lowland states are scattered and local.

It grows in moist conifer and mixed forests, especially under spruce, fir and hemlock, in mossy woods, along the edges of bogs and swamps, on shaded rocky slopes and in subalpine forests and northern heaths. It favors cool, acid, humus-rich soil that stays moist through the summer.

📋 Regional plant lists featuring Stiff Clubmoss: New York, Pennsylvania & Northern New Jersey · Idaho, Eastern Oregon & Eastern Washington · Montana & Wyoming · Michigan, Wisconsin & Eastern Minnesota · Kentucky & Tennessee · Utah & Western Colorado · Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island · New Hampshire, Maine & Vermont · Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia · Delaware, Southern New Jersey & Long Island · Arizona & New Mexico · Alaska · North & South Carolina · North Dakota, South Dakota & Western Minnesota · Western Oregon & Western Washington

Growing & Care Guide

Stiff clubmoss is a plant to admire and protect rather than plant. It is very hard to transplant or propagate, and nursery-propagated stock is rarely, if ever, available. Never dig it from the wild or pull up its stems for decorations. The sections below describe the conditions it grows in and how to look after colonies that already exist on your land.

Light

It grows in light to deep shade under conifers and mixed forest, and in partly open subalpine woods and bog edges in the North. Hot, sunny, exposed sites do not suit it.

Soil & Water

It needs cool, acid soil rich in humus or peat that stays moist through the summer. It is a plant of cold-winter, cool-summer climates, and it does not tolerate drought, heat, lime or fertilizer.

Planting Tips

This is not a plant to add to a garden. Dug pieces carry only a short section of creeping stem, depend on soil fungi, and almost always die. If a colony grows on your land, protect it: keep paths, digging and machinery away, leave the moss and needle litter undisturbed, and avoid draining or drying out the site. For planted native ground cover in cool, moist, acid shade, consider twinflower or Canada mayflower.

Pruning & Maintenance

No maintenance is needed. Do not pull up the stems for garlands, and avoid trampling colonies, which recover very slowly.

Propagation

Stiff clubmoss spreads naturally by its creeping stems and, rarely, by spores. Spores grow into underground gametophytes that need soil fungi and can take many years to produce a new plant, so propagation from spores is not practical, and transplanted stems seldom establish. Leave all wild plants in place.

Landscape Uses

• Nature study: a common, easy-to-recognize clubmoss of northern and mountain forests
• Woodland stewardship: colonies mark cool, undisturbed, acid forest soils and are worth protecting
• Photography: rows of bottlebrush shoots are striking in mossy conifer woods and in snow
• Teaching: its yearly constrictions show how a plant records its own growth seasons

Wildlife & Ecological Value

Stiff clubmoss is not an important wildlife food, but its evergreen colonies add year-round cover to the floor of northern forests.

For Pollinators

Clubmosses do not flower and produce no nectar, so stiff clubmoss has no value for pollinators. Its spores are carried by wind.

For Birds

Colonies offer some cover for ground-nesting forest birds and the insects and spiders they eat. Birds do not generally feed on the plant.

For Mammals

It is rarely browsed by deer or moose, probably because of its stiff, sharp leaves and alkaloid content. Small mammals shelter among the shoots.

Ecosystem Role

Stiff clubmoss is part of the evergreen ground layer of boreal and subalpine forests, along with mosses, goldthread and twinflower. Its underground gametophyte stage depends on mycorrhizal fungi, linking it to the fungal networks of the forest soil.

Cultural & Historical Uses

Like other clubmosses, stiff clubmoss was gathered for Christmas greenery in northern regions, and its spores have been used as lycopodium powder, although most commercial powder came from running clubmoss (Lycopodium clavatum). Colonies recover slowly from collection, and some states regulate it.

Clubmosses have long attracted scientific interest for their alkaloids. Stiff clubmoss contains annotinine and related lycopodium alkaloids, named after the plant, which chemists have studied for decades. None of this makes the plant safe to use at home.

The name Lycopodium means “wolf’s foot”, and Spinulum refers to the small spines on the leaf tips. Annotinum means “a year old”, for the yearly growth constrictions on the shoots. Safety note: clubmosses contain lycopodium alkaloids that can be toxic, so never eat any part of the plant or use it in home remedies, and keep children and pets from chewing it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is stiff clubmoss a moss?
No. It is a lycophyte, a vascular plant with roots, stems and leaves that reproduces by spores. It is more closely related to ferns than to true mosses.

Why is it called interrupted clubmoss?
Each year the new leaves near the end of the growing season are shorter, so the upright shoots show narrow “waists” between years of growth. The scientific name annotinum, meaning “a year old”, refers to the same feature.

Can I grow stiff clubmoss in my garden?
In practice, no. It is very hard to transplant or propagate, it depends on soil fungi and cool, moist forest conditions, and nursery stock is rarely available. Never dig wild plants; protect colonies where they grow.

How do I tell stiff clubmoss from running clubmoss?
Stiff clubmoss has stiff, sharp-pointed leaves without hairs and a single spore cone sitting directly on the shoot tip. Running clubmoss has soft leaves ending in white hairs and cones held up on long stalks.

Is stiff clubmoss poisonous?
Clubmosses contain alkaloids that can be toxic if eaten. Do not eat it or use it as a home remedy, and keep pets and children from chewing on it. Handling the plant is not considered dangerous.