The Club moss – an all-round talent for scientific education

The Club moss (genus Lycopodium) is a native plant of North and Middle Europe, also occurring in Russia, Asia, North America, even in the mountain areas of tropical Africa.

                        Lycopodium clavatum (source)                                                           (source)

Its dispersal units are spores, growing in kidney-shaped sporangia at the base of specialized leaves. These leaves are aggregated in club-shaped units terminating the upright shoots and give reason for the common name “Club moss”.

The spores are used since the Middle Ages for magic rituals (witches farina, flash powder, etc.), nowadays from fire-eaters, for artificial explosions in shows and in movies. This is because the spores contain up to 50% fatty oil, highly inflammable. It’s like “adding fuel to the fire” if you use them.

LYCOPODIUM SPORES FEATURES

The spores can be used for scientific education in multiple disciplines.

• Microscopy, Episode 1: In first instance the spores of Lycopodium with their reticulate surface (1st one from the right) are aesthetic samples with a marked three-dimensionality. For training the fine focus procedure on a transmitted light microscope, this is a good sample. Note the triangle on the surface (2nd one from the left) which indicates the original spore tetrad (Meiosis).

• Microscopy, Episode 2: The size of the spores is quite constant, 30 +/- 2µm. Adding some spores to another microscopic sample creates a kind of “biological micrometer” for the estimation of sizes.

• Biology: To visualize fingerprints, use a soft brush from marten hair to apply the spores to the surface you want to examine. A strip of Sellotape to take off the fingerprint will make your students feel like forensic experts from a crime scene. A stereo microscope is helpful for comparing the fingerprints to show “biological diversity”.

• Physics: The spores of Lycopodium are extremely hydrophobic. To demonstrate the high surface tension of water, scatter a portion of spores onto the water surface within a glass. Dip your fingers into the water, and the spores will create a spontaneous “glove”: The fingers remain dry, the spores will adhere. A detergent finally destroys the glove. The detergent works as if you do the dishes, simply reducing the surface tension.

EXPERIMENT WITH LYCOPODIUM SPORES 

(performed by Emily Gspandl, Heppenheim, Germany)

                  1. Lycopodium spec.; spores on water                                            2. Hand in water

              3. Lycopodium spores acting as a “glove”                                         4. Hand remains dry                               

Up to now the chemical industry was not able to synthesize a material with identical overall characteristics. Indeed: The Club moss is an all-around talent.

You can buy Lycopodium spores easily through the Internet.

Attention: Avoid open fire if you handle them!