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

All winter it has kept the green, when ground pine lay snowbound and spruces sagged with sleet.

From Minstrel Weather by Marian Storm

Then the ground pine, the princess pine, and various nameless pretty things of the woods, all flourish in these little conservatories.

From American Woman's Home by Catharine Esther Beecher

Sometimes they all went home crowned with autumn leaves, sometimes with woodbine or ground pine, and early in spring with bloodroots, violets, or anemones.

From Violet: A Fairy Story by Caroline Snowden Guild

They are still coveting the stores of precious stones at the jewelers, and do not care for my ruby buds, and red dogwood, and scarlet winter berries, and ground pine, and partridge-berry leaves.

From Sanders' Union Fourth Reader by Charles W. Sanders