Firmoss
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| Firmosses | ||||||||||||
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 Huperzia lucidula in Ohio | ||||||||||||
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About 400 species, including: |
Firmosses are plants of the Lycophyte genus Huperzia. This genus was long lumped in with Lycopodium, but it is now recognized that it is a clearly distinct genus, not closely related to Lycopodium. The name firmoss was coined to apply to this genus instead of clubmoss because of the recognition of the distinctness of this group. Firmoss is quite descriptive, since many of the species do resemble fir branches. They are still sometimes known as Fir-clubmosses.
The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with about 400 species.
The plants of this genus generally have radial ranks of entire, linear to lanceolate evergreen leaves and dichotomously-branched (forking) vegetative stems. The spores are borne in kidney-shaped sporangia borne individually on the stem at the bases of unmodified or reduced leaves.
Unlike clubmosses, firmosses grow in clusters rather than running. The roots are produced in the tips of the shoots, growing downward in cortex to emerge at soil level. Horizontal stems are absent.
External links
- Species information for Huperzia (http://homepages.caverock.net.nz/~bj/fern/huperzia.htm)
- Picture gallery (http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/courses/img/bot/401/Lycophyta_(Microphyllophyta)/Lycopodiaceae/Huperzia)