Help with plant ID?

GA native

Senior Member
I'm clearing out the back 40 (feet) of my property. I found the property line, and am clearing out the underbrush to make way for a fence next spring.

I've made many interesting discoveries back there. A few volunteer Jap Maples, some species of large leaf holly, loads of fern and dogwood. A busted up concrete elephant...

And this plant pictured below. It grows in clumps in the deep shade under pines. It does not tolerate foot traffic. The yard is a good piece of bottomland that stays moist.

I'm thinking it's a fern or a moss, but I can't say. And the interwebz was no help. Can you help a brother out?
 

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NCHillbilly

Administrator
Staff member
Ground pine/running cedar. It's one of the species of Lycopodium, aka running club mosses. Would have to see the strobilis to tell which one. Kind of an intermediate group between mosses and ferns. They are cool plants. The spores are explosive en masse, and used to be used as flash powder for photography.
 
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