VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Selaginella densa | Little Clubmoss 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Little clubmoss is a minor part of elk diets but is not a valuable elk
browse [36].  During a Montana study domestic animals were never
observed grazing on little clubmoss [57].  Bighorn sheep may eat some
clubmoss (Selaginella spp.) in New Mexico [40].


PALATABILITY : 
The relish and degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for
little clubmoss (var. densa) in several western states is rated as
follows [16]:

                        UT      WY      MT      ND    
Cattle                 poor    poor    poor    poor   
Sheep                  poor    poor    poor    poor   
Horses                 poor    poor    poor    poor   
Elk                    fair    poor    poor    ----   
Mule deer              fair    poor    poor    fair   
White-tailed deer      ----    poor    ----    fair   
Antelope               fair    poor    poor    fair   
Upland game birds      fair    fair    ----    poor   
Waterfowl              fair    ----    ----    ----   
Small nongame birds    fair    ----    ----    ----   
Small Mammals          fair    fair    ----    ----   


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The energy and protein value of little clubmoss forage is poor [16].
Aboveground parts of little clubmoss have a high ash content (19.7%).
Most of this is silica which comprises about 16.5 percent of plant dry
weight.  Other results of this analysis are given below [59]:

              Percent of dry weight of aboveground portions of plant
Calcium       0.20
Potassium     0.30
Iron          0.038
Zinc          0.023
Sodium        0.29
Phosphorus    0.11
Protein       8.50


COVER VALUE : 
Little clubmoss provides poor cover for small animals [16].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Little clubmoss has poor short-term or long-term revegetation potential
[16].  It does grow well on gentle and moderate slopes and it has low to
moderate erosion control potential.  However, its potential biomass
production is low and establishment requirements may be exacting [16].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
While little clubmoss does not provide forage, it does protect the soil
from erosion by wind or water and reduces the effects of tramping [7].
With care, little clubmoss can be transplanted into gardens where it is
an attractive ground cover that grows on rocks and in other dry
situations [34].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
The role of little clubmoss in mixed prairie is not well understood,
although its influence on other vegetation and the habitat has been
thought to be slight because its requirements for water and nutrients
are low [9,10,60].  During light showers, its dense mats and extensive,
shallow roots may intercept and soak up all the available water [55,57].
During high intensity storms, the mats of little clubmoss act to
increase infiltration and decrease runoff and surface erosion [57].  Its
shallow root system also limits clubmoss growth to periods of the year
when moisture is available at shallow depths [59].

Grazing effects:  The effect of grazing on little clubmoss seems to be
confounded by drought.  In Canadian and Montana mixed prairie, little
clubmoss is able to increase during periods of drought [10,18,58].
Also, little clubmoss increases when protected from grazing and
decreases with grazing due to trampling of grazing animals [10].  Little
clubmoss is relatively weakly rooted and easily damaged by trampling
[37].  Decreases in response to grazing may also be explained by the
exposure and drying of the surface soil when cover is removed by grazing
[18].  In the short-grass prairie of southeastern Alberta and
southwestern Saskatchewan, grasses can easily establish in areas with
high cover of little clubmoss during years with above normal
precipitation, but they are rarely able to establish during dry years
[7].

A 4-year Montana study done during a period of normal rainfall compared
ungrazed mixed prairie with mixed prairie moderately grazed by sheep.
Cover of little clubmoss decreased from 21 to 17.6 percent on the
ungrazed site but it decreased from 15.1 to 7.1 percent on the grazed
area [58].  The strong decrease on grazed prairie was attributed to
trampling, competition, and manure [57].
 
A 7-year study of three levels of grazing intensity on the short-grass
prairie in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan was done
during dry and drought years [9].  Little clubmoss increased under all
levels of grazing, with the greatest increase in the most lightly grazed
area.  On ungrazed land little clubmoss increased in basal area from 11
percent to 16 percent.  Results of a second 10-year study showed the
basal area of little clubmoss increased by 37 percent on ungrazed and 27
percent on grazed land, while grass cover generally decreased.  Looking
at total vegetation cover the authors concluded that "climate rather
than moderate grazing use was the principal factor affecting plant
cover" between 1928 and 1939.  During a third 5-year study, little
clubmoss increased more under a medium level of grazing than under
severe grazing intensity [9].  Little clubmoss increases more under
rotational grazing than under continuous grazing [9,65].

A 3-year North Dakota mixed prairie study compared exclosures
established 38 to 41 years previously with cattle-grazed range.  Little
clubmoss cover did not vary significantly despite major differences in
species composition of grasses and silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana)
[5,6].  Site differences were more important than grazing pressure [6].
Ross and Hunter [50] list clubmoss as increasing under grazing pressure
in Montana.  However, little clubmoss increases very slowly when taller,
competing vegetation is partly or wholly removed [52].

Treatment with fertilizer:  The primary effect of manure or fertilizer
applications is to increase the competitiveness of taller grasses, thus
decreasing little clubmoss [18].  However, in the northern plains
response depends upon precipitation [54].  There is no evidence that
nitrogen application alone kills little clubmoss [52].  When fertilizers
containing nitrogen and phosphorus were added to grassland plots in each
of 2 successive years, the cover of live little clubmoss decreased
significantly.  It was not determined whether this was due to the
nutrients themselves or because of increased competition from other
vegetation [57].  Manuring alone increased all plant cover the first
season of a Montana study, but little clubmoss was subordinated to the
more vigorous native grasses and decreased the second season [18].
After more than 30 years with normal weather, little clubmoss was still
reduced in plots treated by annual applications of manure for 1 to 11
years [19].  Mulching, with or without added fertilizer, can nearly
eliminate little clubmoss [66].

Mechanical treatment:  Mechanical treatments reduced little clubmoss
cover between 25 and 70 percent in northern Montana mixed prairie [52].
The effects of various combinations of manure treatment, disking, and
harrowing over a 10-year period along with seeding of crested wheatgrass
(Agropyron cristatum) and yellow sweetclover (Melilotus officinalis)
have been studied [18,19].  Most treatments resulted in long-term
decreases in little clubmoss, and combination treatments seemed most
successful.  When the treated area was resurveyed over 30 years later,
little clubmoss cover was still so decreased that researchers concluded
that little clubmoss does not easily reestablish on northern mixed
prairie following mechanical treatment [19].  Little clubmoss cover and
the cover of either other vegetation or litter were significantly and
negatively correlated [19].

Chemical control:  The most effective chemicals for control of little
clubmoss while increasing the yield of desirable grasses are AMS
(ammate) and atrazine [59].  Spring treatment is most effective.
Monuron, paraquat, and bromacil control little clubmoss but also reduce
the yield of or kill other vegetation [59].  Further range tests
indicate that ammate, atrazine, and monuron are the best treatments
[52].  Their effectiveness is increased with the use of a surfactant
[52].

Related categories for Species: Selaginella densa | Little Clubmoss