Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium ascendens

Botrychium pinnatum

trianglelobe moonwort, upswept moonwort

northern moonwort, northwestern moonwort, St. John
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 7 pairs, only slightly ascending, approximate to overlapping, 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 ovate to lanceolate-oblong, to spatulate, deeply and regularly lobed or pinnulate, lobed to tip, margins entire to very shallowly crenate, apex truncate to somewhat acute, venation pinnate.
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 0–2 mm, 0 to 0.1 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade bright shiny green, oblong-deltate, 1–2-pinnate, to 8 × 5 cm, papery.
Sporophores

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

2-pinnate, 1–2 times length of trophophore.
2n

=180.

=180.

Botrychium ascendens

Botrychium pinnatum
Phenology Leaves appearing in late spring to midsummer. Leaves appearing in June to August.
Habitat In grassy fields, widely scattered Grassy slopes, streambanks, woods
Elevation 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft) 0–2500 m (0–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; MT; NV; OR; WY; BC; ON; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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 pinnatum is most commonly associated with B. lanceolatum and B. lunaria. Specimens of B. pinnatum have been misidentified as Botrychium boreale.

(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. 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. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. spathulatum, B. virginianum
Synonyms B. boreale subsp. obtusilobum
Name authority W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 76: 36, figs. 1, 2. (1986) H. St. John: Amer. Fern J. 19: 11. (1929)
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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