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

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

From Seattle Times • Feb. 14, 2024

He brought me this cunning little tree and all this ground pine and holly.

From Marjorie Dean, High School Freshman by Lester, Pauline

Then the way sloped down to a beautiful forest, shady and green, full of mossy dells, almost overgrown with ferns and low spreading ground pine or spruce.

From Tales of lonely trails by Grey, Zane

Of course that stunt was voted the best and the clever divers were crowned with ground pine in lieu of laurel and treated to lollypops.

From The Campfire Girls on Ellen's Isle The Trail of the Seven Cedars by Frey, Hildegard G. (Hildegard Gertrude)

One particularly, which she called the ground pine, is peculiar as she told me, to the Alleghany, and in some places runs over whole acres of ground; it is extremely beautiful.

From Domestic Manners of the Americans by Trollope, Fanny