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Glite Dictionary
Lycopodium clavatum

Lycopodium clavatum

9.9
A small green plant with many thin stems that grows on the ground in forests
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Lycopodium clavatum
  • Lycopodium clavatum is frequently found growing in moist, acidic soils in northern forests.

Examples

  • The spores of Lycopodium clavatum have been used in traditional medicine and pyrotechnics.

  • Botanists often study Lycopodium clavatum to understand the evolution of vascular plants.

  • The Lycopodium clavatum is often found in shaded forest areas.

  • Some herbalists recommend Lycopodium clavatum for its medicinal properties.

  • Lycopodium clavatum is commonly used in herbal remedies for its supposed health benefits.

  • In temperate regions, Lycopodium clavatum can often be seen thriving in damp woodland environments.

  • Many herbalists believe that Lycopodium clavatum may help with various ailments due to its medicinal qualities.

Synonyms

running pine
vsLycopodium clavatum
  • UK
8.8

A small plant with long trailing stems that spreads across the ground

is the same species but noted for temperate growth and herbal uses

Surface Forms

Lycopodium clavatum singular
Lycopodium clavatums plural

Morphology

Lycopodium + clavatum

This is a Latin binomial (scientific species name) whose constituent parts are not common English words and are not defined in the provided dictionary entries, so a B1 learner who only 'knows the constituent words' would not be able to infer the referential meaning. The expression refers to a specific botanical species and requires specialist/Latin knowledge to decode, making the meaning non-compositional and unpredictable for typical learners.

Etymology

Lycopodium clavatum comes from old Greek and Latin words: lyco- means 'wolf' and -podium means 'little foot', while clavatum means 'club-shaped'. This creates an image of a low plant with small, club-like branches or a 'wolf's foot', so the name helps you remember that it is a small 'club moss'.