Just to give equal time to non-flowering plants, one should include the
use of mosses in nativity scenes and the use of Lycopodium for wreaths.
Both hold their color and shape when dry, and the Lycopodium has been
protected in Michigan by what is known as the Christmas tree act because
so much of it was being collected for Christmas decorations that our
government decided to protect it before it disappeared.
Lycopodium is also interesting in that one can create a spectacular
flash by throwing a large pinch of spores into a a flame. This was once
used for flash photography, an activity common at Christmas.
Janice
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Janice M. Glime
Department of Biological Sciences
Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
jmglime at mtu.edu
906-487-2546
FAX 906-487-3167
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