Distribution: Alaska to Oregon, east to Montana and south in the Rockies to New Mexico; across Canada and in eastern United States from Maine to Virginia

Habitat: Moist forests, bog edges and rocky areas, lowlands to subalpine

Origin: Native

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Trailing perennial; stems creeping horizontally on substrate or subterranean; upright shoots clustered, mostly unbranched or weakly branched at base, 12-16 mm in diameter, annual bud constrictions abrupt and obvious; lateral branchlets few and same as upright shoots except annual bud constrictions absent; roots emerging from underside of stems.

Leaves spreading to bent backwards, dark green, linear-lanceolate, 5-8 mm long and 0.6-1.2 mm broad, margins finely dentate mostly towards apex, apex sharp-pointed, hair-tip absent.

Strobili solitary and sessile atop upright shoots, 15-30 mm long and 3.5-4.5 mm broad; sporangia reniform; spores reticulate, side at midsection convex.