I can’t think of another plant that has so many common names of Lycopodium digitatum.  Clubmoss, running cedar, fan-ground pine, fan-clubmoss, crowsfoot, Southern ground cedar, and my personal favorite, turkey paw are just some. Many of these names obviously draw from its resemblance to a miniature conifer.  And to make the name of this plant even more confusing, apparently Lycopodium is not the settled upon genus, being also called Diphasiastrum digatatum (which does not exactly roll off the tongue).

Whatever you would like to call this plant, this club moss is a wonderful native ground cover found in the woods.  It only reaches about 6” tall and spreads by underground runners.  At Bullington Gardens it lines the native woodland trail in thick evergreen carpets.  It may be one of the most asked about plants here.

There are several other club moss cousins in the woods. They are all prehistoric plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds.  In the fall, the spikes of “strobili’ rising above the foliage start to turn yellow and release clouds of yellow spores.  These spores are highly flammable and create a bright flash that was used in the early days of flash photography.

Unfortunately, as much as people would like to add this plant to their woodland gardens, it is very difficult to cultivate.  So the best places to enjoy turkey paw or running cedar is by taking a walk in your local woods.