Inundated club moss facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Inundated club moss |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lycopodiella
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| Species: |
inundata
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| Synonyms | |
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Lycopodium inundatum L. |
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Lycopodiella inundata is a type of club moss. People also call it inundated club moss, marsh clubmoss, or northern bog club moss. This plant grows in many northern parts of the world. You can find it around the Arctic Circle and in cool, northern forests. It lives in wet places like bogs, ponds, and damp areas of the tundra. It can also grow in old borrow pits, which are holes left after digging up soil or gravel.
Contents
What is Inundated Club Moss?
This club moss is a small plant. It often grows in patches on the ground. Its leafy stems spread out flat along the soil. These stems can grow roots as they spread. This helps the plant get more water and nutrients.
Plant Parts and How They Grow
Some stems stand up straight. These stems have special cones that hold spores. Spores are like tiny seeds that help the plant reproduce. These upright stems usually appear in July and August. They are only a few centimeters (about an inch or two) tall. The leaves of this plant are green and curve slightly. They are narrow and have sharp points. Each leaf is only a few millimeters long.
Where Does It Live?
The inundated club moss is a plant that likes cold, high places. It grows in the Arctic and in mountains. You can find it all around the northern half of the world. It is common in Europe. It also grows in East Asia and North America.
In the British Isles
In the British Isles, this club moss is quite rare. It is listed as a UK Priority Species. This means it needs special protection. It grows in Scotland and parts of England and Wales. Sometimes, if conditions are just right, it can grow very quickly. For example, at Llyn Cwm-y-ffynnon in Wales, it grew a lot. This happened on bare peat (a type of soil) where other plants could not grow well. This was because of winter floods, cows walking on the land, and peat being cut.
In Ireland
This plant is also found in a few places across Ireland. In Northern Ireland, it is only found in one spot. This place is Peatlands Park in County Armagh. Because it is so rare there, it is also a Northern Ireland Priority Species.
