Lycopodium lucidulum
Common name: Shining Club Moss. Sporophylls which support sporangia are arranged in loose aggregations at the tips of branches. See (A, B, C). The stem (rhizome) grows above ground. In (A.), the field picture, note that the plant appears to have branches about 6 inches long growing out of the ground. Actually the branches are growing from the stem which is prostrate along the ground and also gives rise to the true roots which grow in the ground. (B.), The herbarium specimen shows this.
Diagram D illustrates the position of the sporangium in the axil of a sporophyll. This is shown in photomicrograph E. Photomicrograph F is a cross section of stem showing a small percentage of vascular tissue contained in the center (stele). The stele consists of an anastomosing center of xylem surrounded by phloem.
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