SafePlants

Hanging Clubmoss

This page details information about the fascinating Hanging Clubmoss, a unique plant with several common names and intriguing ecological adaptations.

Considerations for Pets

• The text mentions that Hanging Clubmoss is often found in hanging baskets and as an indoor plant, suggesting potential accessibility for pets indoors.

Scientific Name and Nomenclature

• Accepted Scientific Name: Huperzia dichotoma (Jacq.) Trevis.
• Common Names: Hanging Clubmoss, Hanging Fir Moss, Chinese Clubmoss, Variable Club Moss.
• Synonyms:
  • Huperzia chinensis (Herter ex Nessel) Ching
  • Phlegmariurus varius
  • Huperzia varia
  • Lycopodium billardieri
  • Lycopodium pachystachyum
  • Lycopodium varium
  • Phlegmariurus dichotomus
  • Lycopodium dichotomum Jacq.
  • Lycopodium selago L. ssp. miyoshianum (Makino) Calder &amp Roy L. Taylor
  • Lycopodium selago L. var. miyoshianum (Makino) Makino

Taxonomy and Classification

• Kingdom: Not explicitly stated but implied to be Plantae based on context.
• Class: Lycopodiopsida (as a clubmoss)

Distribution and Habitat

• Observed in locations such as Harbor Mountain Road, Sitka, Alaska, and La Visite National Park in Haiti.
• Also found in the Fakahatchee Strand, Collier County, Florida.
• Common in subtropical and mixed forests, particularly in New Zealand.

Ecological Role

• Often grows as an epiphyte, dangling from other plants.
• The sole epiphytic member of the club moss family in North America is the hanging fir moss (Phlegmariurus dichotomus).

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Herbaceous vascular plant with dichotomously branching stems.
• Can form long tassels.

Traditional and Other Uses

• In Maori tradition, the plant is called "iwituna".
• Some believe it calls in one's personal guardian and protector spirit of the south.

Further Information

• Discover Life: Discover Life
• The Plant List
• ToL (Tree of Life Web Project)
• BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library)
• WikiSpecies
• Te Papa's collections