Lycopodium digitatum
Copyright, James Manhart
Running Cedar is a
low-growing evergreen
plant, in a group of plants known as clubmosses.
Clubmosses aren't really mosses;
they're more closely related to ferns. Running Cedar is usually
between five and ten inches tall. It has straight stems with
flat branches which spread like fans. Leaves are small and
flat with pointed tips. They feel like leather, and stay
green all year. Running Cedar grows in
forests where soil is somewhat dry and there are a lot of
dead leaves on the ground. Sometimes it grows in fields with
a lot of shrubs
or small trees. (c) Becknell and Lucas
Media, www.bigeastern.com The Missouri Flora
Website The Missouri Flora
Website In the Fall, Running
Cedar sends up small cones.
The cones stick straight up in the air and contain tiny
spores.
Spores are a lot like seeds. When the spores float on the
wind, they sometimes land in new places and start new
plants. The way Running Cedar
usually spreads is by its rhizomes.
Rhizomes are stems that grow sideways under dead leaves.
Rhizomes of Running Cedar hardly ever go into the soil like
some other plants. As the rhizomes grow, they can send up
new Running Cedar plants. Usually, you will see a "colony"
of many Running Cedar plants together. They are probably
linked by rhizomes. Some types of trees that
Running Cedar grow underneath include maples, basswood, and
pines. Running Cedar provides
good shelter
for small animals, such as spiders, frogs, and
salamanders. John Kohout, Wisconsin
State Herbarium
