ground pine

American  

noun

1. any of several species of club moss, especially Lycopodium obscurum or L. complanatum.

2. a European herb, Ajuga chamaepitys, of the mint family, having a resinous odor.

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ground pine British  

noun

1. a hairy plant, Ajuga chamaepitys, of Europe and N Africa, having two-lipped yellow flowers marked with red spots: family Lamiaceae (labiates). It smells of pine when crushed See also bugle 2

2. any of certain North American club mosses, esp Lycopodium obscurum

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Etymology

Origin of ground pine

First recorded in 1545–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ground pine

Bark, particularly finely ground pine bark, holds water and can be used as a substitute for peat moss.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

Following her was little Pete, carrying on each arm an enormous wreath of ground pine and bittersweet.

From A Cry in the Wilderness by Waller, Mary E. (Mary Ella)

They gathered basketfuls of flowers, and long streamers of ground pine, which they made into ropes and wreaths.

From Gerda in Sweden by McDonald, Etta Austin Blaisdell

Very laboriously, very painstakingly, he spat out one by one two stones and a wisp of ground pine and a brackish, prickly tickle of stale golden-rod.

From The White Linen Nurse by Abbott, Eleanor Hallowell

A trailing ground pine had torn up small blades in its journey across the hill, and a vine, wrist-thick, twisted about a pale oak, hideously, gloriously, killing it, dragging it into dust.

From The Best Short Stories of 1919 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story by O'Brien, Edward J. (Edward Joseph Harrington)