Lycopodiaceae
Lycopodium

Lycopodium clavatum L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1101 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Northern Hemisphere to Tropical Mountains. It is a subshrub and grows primarily in the temperate biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as animal food, an ornamental plant and a medicine, has environmental uses and social uses and for fuel and food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean. Elevation range: 1050–4200 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Bogotá DC, Boyacá, Caldas, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Herb.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, inland rocky areas, desert, artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Cacho de venao, Caminadera, Colchón de pobre, Lycopodio
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
colchón de pobre, gateadera
[UNAL]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Morphology General Habit
Herb.
Ecology
Alt. 1050 - 4200 m.
Distribution
Native from Colombia.
Conservation
Not Evaluated.
[UPB]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Fuel
Used for fuels.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Use Environmental Ornamentals
Ornamental (Galvis & Morales 2010, State of the World's Plants 2016).
Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Folk medicine: spores are used as a lubricant for suppositories (Galvis & Morales 2010).
[UPB]

Common Names

Spanish
Caminadera, cacho de venado, licopodio, colchón de pobre, cacho de venao.
unknown
club moss, lycopodium, lycopodium remanens

Sources

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/