Lycopodium
Lycopodium | |
---|---|
Lycopodium clavatum | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Lycophytes |
Class: | Lycopodiopsida |
Order: | Lycopodiales |
Family: | Lycopodiaceae |
Subfamily: | Lycopodioideae |
Genus: | Lycopodium L.[1] |
Type species | |
Lycopodium clavatum | |
Species | |
See text |
Lycopodium (from Greek lykos, wolf and podion, diminutive of pous, foot)
Description
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2019) |
They are
Lycopods reproduce asexually by spores. The plants have an underground sexual phase that produces
Taxonomy
The genus Lycopodium was first published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.[8] He placed it in the Musci (mosses) along with genera such as Sphagnum, and included species such as Lycopodium selaginoides,[9] now placed in the genus Selaginella in a different order from Lycopodium. Different sources use substantially different circumscriptions of the genus. Traditionally, Lycopodium was considered to be the only extant genus in the family Lycopodiaceae, so includes all the species in the family, although sometimes excluding one placed in the monotypic genus Phylloglossum.[10] Other sources divide Lycopodiaceae species into three broadly defined genera, Lycopodium, Huperzia (including Phylloglossum) and Lycopodiella. In this approach, Lycopodium sensu lato has about 40 species.[11][5] In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), the broadly defined genus is equivalent to the subfamily Lycopodioideae, and Lycopodium is one of 16 genera in the family Lycopodiaceae, with between 9 and 15 species.[1][4]
Traditional[10] | Christenhusz & Chase (2014)[11] | PPG I[4] |
---|---|---|
Lycopodium + Phylloglossum |
Lycopodium s.l. | Lycopodium s.s. + 8 other genera making up subfamily Lycopodioideae |
Two other genera | 7 genera (including Phylloglossum) in two subfamilies |
Species
Using the narrow circumscription of Lycopodium, in which it is one of nine genera in the subfamily Lycopodioideae, the Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World recognized the following species as of January 2023[update]:[1]
- Lycopodium clavatum L. – stag's-horn clubmoss; subcosmopolitan
- Lycopodium diaphanum (P.Beauv.) Sw. – Tristan da Cunha
- Lycopodium japonicum Thunb. – eastern Asia (Japan west and south to India and Sri Lanka)
- Lycopodium lagopus (Laest. ex C.Hartm.) Zinserl. ex Kuzen. – circumpolar arctic and subarctic
- Lycopodium papuanum Nessel – New Guinea
- Western Samoa, the Society Islands
- Lycopodium vestitum Desv. ex Poir. – northwest South America (Andes)
Uses
The spores of Lycopodium species are harvested and are sold as lycopodium powder.
Lycopodium sp. herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea or externally as compresses for treatment of disorders of the locomotor system, skin, liver and bile, kidneys and urinary tract, infections, rheumatism, and gout,[12] though claims of efficacy are unproven. It has also been used in some United States government chemical warfare test programs such as Operation Dew.[13] Lycopodium powder was also used to determine the molecular size of oleic acid.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d Hassler, Michael (19 January 2023), "Lycopodium", World Ferns. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World, 14.7, retrieved 2023-01-22
- Perseus Project.
- ^ The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2008
- ^ S2CID 39980610.
- ^ a b "Lycopodium L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ^ a b c d Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 153.
- ^ OCLC 621340.
- ^ "Lycopodium L." The International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ Linnaeus, C. (1753). "Lycopodium". Species Plantarum. Vol. II. pp. 1100ff. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ OCLC 253704767.
- ^ PMID 24532607.
- PMID 23770053.
- ISBN 0309057833.
External links
- Species list (takes a broad view of the genus, including the species here separated in the genus Diphasiastrum)
- Burning Lycopodium Powder: Simulating a Grain Elevator Explosion by Kevin A. Boudreaux