Blue Clubmoss vs Christmas Green

Diphasiastrum tristachyum compared with Diphasiastrum complanatum

Key Differences

• Blue Clubmoss is Endangered while Christmas Green is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue Clubmoss	Christmas Green
Kingdom same	Plantae (植物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum same	Tracheophyta	Tracheophyta
Class same	Lycopodiopsida (ヒカゲノカズラ綱)	Lycopodiopsida (ヒカゲノカズラ綱)
Order same	Lycopodiales (Lycopodiales)	Lycopodiales (Lycopodiales)
Family same	Lycopodiaceae	Lycopodiaceae
Genus same	Diphasiastrum	Diphasiastrum
Species	Diphasiastrum tristachyum	Diphasiastrum complanatum

Evolutionary Relationship

Blue Clubmoss and Christmas Green share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Diphasiastrum.

Conservation Status

Blue Clubmoss

EN — Endangered

Christmas Green

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue Clubmoss	Christmas Green
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue Clubmoss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Christmas Green

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (France, Luxembourg, Norway), North America (Canada, United States), and South America (Colombia).

Blue Clubmoss

The Blue Clubmoss (Diphasiastrum tristachyum) is a species in the genus Diphasiastrum. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Christmas Green

Christmas green (Lycopodium obscurum) is a terrestrial clubmoss in the family Lycopodiaceae, native to eastern North America and parts of eastern Asia. It is one of the most recognizable clubmosses in North American forests, forming upright, tree-like shoots that superficially resemble miniature conifer saplings. The species grows in moist, cool deciduous and mixed forests, often on acidic, humus-rich soils. Lycopodium obscurum reproduces via spores produced in terminal strobili — cone-like structures at the tips of upright branches. Clubmosses are ancient vascular plants with a lineage extending back over four hundred million years, representing one of the earliest groups of land plants to evolve vascular tissue. They are not true mosses but belong to the lycophytes, a separate lineage from ferns and seed plants. Christmas green has historically been harvested extensively for holiday decorations and wreaths due to its evergreen, decorative appearance and the fact that cut branches remain fresh for extended periods. Over-harvesting in the twentieth century significantly reduced populations in accessible areas of the eastern United States. Clubmosses reproduce and grow slowly, making them vulnerable to over-collection. Ethical wildcrafting guidelines recommend sparing collection to allow populations to recover.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇦 Canada 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇺🇸 United States