Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium ascendens

Botrychium gallicomontanum

trianglelobe moonwort, upswept moonwort

Frenchman's bluff grapefern, Frenchman's bluff moonwort
Pinnae

to 5 pairs, strongly ascending, well separated, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, basal pinna pair approximately equal in size and cutting to adjacent pair, obliquely narrowly cuneate, undivided to tip, margins sharply denticulate and often shallowly incised, apex rounded, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.

to 6 pairs, strongly ascending, well separated, distance between the 1st and 2d pinnae considerably greater than between 2d and 3d pairs, basal pinna pair approximately equal in size and cutting to adjacent pair, fan-shaped to narrowly spatulate, often asymmetric, with distal portion longer than and arching over proximal portion, undivided to tip, rarely 2-cleft, margins entire to irregularly cleft, apex rounded, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.
Trophophore

stalk 3–10 mm, 1/6 length of trophophore rachis;

blade yellow-green, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 1-pinnate, to 6 × 1.5 cm, thin but firm.

stalk 1–8 mm;

blade yellow-green, ovate to oblong-linear, 1-pinnate, to 3 × 0.9 cm, firm, glaucescent.
Sporophores

2-pinnate at base of sporangial cluster, 1.3–2 times length of trophophore.

2–3-pinnate, 1.5–3 times length of trophophore.
2n

=180.

Botrychium ascendens

Botrychium gallicomontanum
Phenology Leaves appearing in late spring to midsummer. Leaves appearing in midspring, dying in summer.
Habitat In grassy fields, widely scattered Prairies
Elevation 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft) 300 m (1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; MT; NV; OR; WY; BC; ON; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MN
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Botrychium ascendens is a distinctive little moonwort that grows with B. crenulatum, B. lunaria, and B. minganense. This species and B. pedunculosum are the only grapeferns that often have extra sporangia on the proximal pinnae.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Botrychium gallicomontanum is known only from one locality in western Minnesota, where it grows with both B. campestre and B. simplex. It is intermediate between them in the spacing, shape, and stalk length of the pinnae. This is one of four moonwort species that commonly produce dense clusters of minute, spheric gemmae at the root bases. This moonwort is probably an allopolyploid of the two associated species.

Of conservation concern.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Ophioglossaceae > Botrychium > subg. Botrychium Ophioglossaceae > Botrychium > subg. Botrychium
Sibling taxa
B. acuminatum, B. biternatum, B. boreale, B. campestre, B. crenulatum, B. dissectum, B. echo, B. gallicomontanum, B. hesperium, B. jenmanii, B. lanceolatum, B. lunaria, B. lunarioides, B. matricariifolium, B. minganense, B. montanum, B. mormo, B. multifidum, B. oneidense, B. pallidum, B. paradoxum, B. pedunculosum, B. pinnatum, B. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. spathulatum, B. virginianum
B. acuminatum, B. ascendens, B. biternatum, B. boreale, B. campestre, B. crenulatum, B. dissectum, B. echo, B. hesperium, B. jenmanii, B. lanceolatum, B. lunaria, B. lunarioides, B. matricariifolium, B. minganense, B. montanum, B. mormo, B. multifidum, B. oneidense, B. pallidum, B. paradoxum, B. pedunculosum, B. pinnatum, B. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. spathulatum, B. virginianum
Name authority W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 76: 36, figs. 1, 2. (1986) Farrar & Johnson Groh: Amer. Fern J. 81: 1, figs. 1, 2, 4. (1991)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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