club moss
- noun
- /klʌb mɔs/
- Specialized
:
musgo de club
- They pitched their tents on a green blanket of club moss and sedge grass.
Examples
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A single club moss can release thousands of spores from its club-shaped cones.
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Many club mosses can be found in temperate forests.
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Scientists study club mosses to learn about the evolution of land plants.
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The forest floor was covered with dense patches of club moss thriving in the shade.
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The club moss thrives in shady areas.
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A pot of club moss adds lush life to the sparkling winter tablescape.
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Fill in between the containers with potting soil; then top with club moss for a cool look.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small evergreen plant like a moss that is sometimes used in Christmas decorations
An evergreen plant that looks like moss and has small cones that contain spores
A small evergreen plant like moss that makes spores in club-shaped cones
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'moss' clearly signals the plant domain so a learner who knows both words can infer this is a kind of moss; 'club' plausibly indicates a shape or type (i.e. club-shaped structures), so part of the meaning is recoverable. However, the specific botanical sense (primitive evergreen producing club-shaped spore cones) is specialized and not fully predictable from the everyday sense of 'club', so the transparency is partial.
Etymology
The name club moss comes from how the plant looks: it grows like a soft moss but has small club-shaped cones that release spores. Picture tiny clubs rising from a green carpet — that simple image explains why the name refers to this moss-like plant.