Botanical name:

Austrolycopodium fastigiatum

Common name(s):

Alpine Clubmoss, Mountain Clubmoss

Plant facts:

A primitive, spore-producing plant (clubmoss) with an upright, branching growth habit. Despite its moss-like appearance, it is more closely related to ferns. Forms dense, wiry clumps and is well adapted to cold, exposed environments.

Natural habitat:

Occurs from coastal to alpine zones. Common in frost flats, subalpine and geothermal scrub, alpine herbfields, grasslands, and peat bogs.

Growing environment:

Frost, Cold, Wind & Moist tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Widespread across New Zealand, including the North Island (from Te Moehau and Mt Pirongia south), South Island, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Chatham, Antipodes, Auckland, and Campbell Islands. Also found in Australia.

Height:

30–400 mm

Flowering:

N/A (non-flowering species)

Fruiting (spores):

Reproduces via spores produced in upright cone-like structures (strobili) at the tips of branches.

Uses:

• Suitable for alpine and specialist native plant collections
• Ecological value in alpine and wetland systems

Appearance:

Growth habit:
Forms erect (occasionally spreading) rigid stems arising from a creeping, mostly underground rhizome. Plants are densely branched, creating a compact, shrubby appearance.

Leaves:
Very small (3–5 mm long), narrow, and tightly overlapping along the stems. Leaves are curved inward and range in colour from green to yellow-green or orange, especially in exposed conditions.

Reproductive structures:
Produces upright, cone-like strobili (20–100 mm long) at the tips of branches. These contain the spores and sit clearly above the foliage.

How to grow:

Difficult to cultivate and generally not recommended for garden propagation. Plants should not be removed from the wild.