An intro to the mysterious and controversial Huperzias, and Oliver’s top tips on how to care for them!

If you’re trying to claim the title of the most plant obsessed person you know, nothing beats getting involved with the hot topic that is the Lycopodiaceae family! Even that simple sentence could stir up some serious drama in the taxonomy world, as this family has been highly contentious when it comes to classifications.

Most commonly known as Clubmoss, these plants are ironically not moss at all, and in fact have a striking resemblance to fir trees, so some people also call them Ground Pines. We could go on and on covering the intrigue and drama surrounding the more than 400 species in this family, but since this is merely an introduction, we have decided to let you geek out and do some digging yourself… you have to earn the label ‘plant obsessed’ after all! But what we will do is give you the inside scoop on one genus of this family: the Huperzia.

Huperzia has many of the same characteristics of other species of Lycopodiaceae: a fir tree-like leaf shape, dichotomous stem branching, and flowers/spores, which are called strobili. Most specimens are found in alpine regions with temperate environments, meaning they thrive in quite a unique ecosystem, that is rarely found in your average apartment! These environments often experience heavy fog, rain, and mist, and this fact is important to consider when trying to grow your Huperzia indoors. High humidity is important, as well as constant moisture in the substrate, which should be representative of those same alpine regions. These environmental needs obviously makes caring for a Huperzia a more difficult task than with other houseplants, so how exactly are you supposed to replicate the natural environment of sub-tropical alpine Asia in your own bedroom? Well, the answer is quite simple, but it does involve a certain level of dedication to the cause!

Firstly, research! Understanding this plant is an important part of being able to care for it. Your research will probably lead you down a trail of confusing information, but understanding the mystery of these plants will help you understand the importance of their care. However, if you can’t be bothered spending your free time dredging through the difficult to find, and often conflicting, information about a plant family that has dozens of different names, then just skip it, and listen here:

Water your Huperzia regularly. And by regularly we’re actually talking multiple times per week, and in the peak of summer it could even be daily. Ideally you want to make sure there is always moisture in the substrate.

The Huperzia should be planted in a coco-chunk-like substrate which doesn’t hold water as well as a soil mix.

Learning to feel the subtle weight difference between a watered and unwatered plant is of the utmost importance.

Medium to high humidity will protect delicate Huperzia leaves from browning, and seeing as you are going to be watering the plant so regularly, watering the entire plant in the shower would be a great way to keep the leaves from drying out. Additionally, a humidifier, or grouping your Huperzia with other plants, can be helpful.

Keep your Huperzia in a bright, well lit area with exposure to a few hours of morning sun, if possible.

Midday and afternoon sun will burn your Huperzia dreams to dust, but a little morning sun will give you and your beloved Huperzia some time to relax and daydream about being 1/10th of the way up a beautiful Himalayan Mountain from the comfort of your inner-city dwelling!

So, now that you’ve followed these care tips, your Huperzia is lush, and has branched several times, an indicator of age, and has begun to develop spores. At this point you’re probably thinking ‘’wow, lucky me, new plant babies!’… well, think again, budding Huperzia heads! Germination of spores takes between three and eight years, and if you are thinking about propagation, well, that’s just as difficult.

In conclusion, the Huperzia is a true plant baby in an almost literal sense, meaning it’s all yours, and you will have trouble sharing it with other plant parents. So instead we recommend that you just cherish it, get to know it, love it, and it will love you back!