Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium biternatum

Botrychium dissectum

southern grapefern, sparse-lobed grapefern, sparselobe grapefern

botryche découpé, cutleaf grapefern, dissected grapefern
Pinnae

to 7 pairs, usually remote, horizontal, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, undivided except in proximal 2/3–1/2.

to 10 pairs, approximate to remote, slightly ascending, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, undivided except in proximal 2/3–3/4.
Trophophore

stalk 4–20 cm, 2–2.5 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade green to dark green, plane, 2–3-pinnate, to 18 × 28 cm, herbaceous.

stalk 3–15 cm, 1.5–2.5 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade shiny green, often bronze in winter, plane to convex, 3–4-pinnate, to 20 × 30cm, leathery.
Pinnules

elongate, obliquely lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, margins nearly parallel and finely denticulate, apex short-acuminate, venation pinnate.

usually obliquely angular–trowel-shaped to widely trowel-shaped to obliquely round-lanceolate to ovate and pointed, margins denticulate to lacerate to coarsely cut halfway or wholly into linear-divergent segments in some populations, venation pinnate.
Sporophores

1–2-pinnate, 2–3 times length of trophophore.

2–3-pinnate, 1.5–2.5 times length of trophophore.
2n

=90.

=90.

Botrychium biternatum

Botrychium dissectum
Phenology Leaves green over winter, sporophores seasonal, new leaves appearing in late spring–early summer. Leaves green over winter, new leaves appearing in late spring.
Habitat Frequent in low woods and brushy fields In variety of habitats, open grassy areas to deep forest
Elevation 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; QC; West Indies in the Antilles
Discussion

Botrychium biternatum often grows with B. dissectum and B. jenmanii. The name B. biternatum was misapplied by L.Underwood to B. lunarioides (W.H. Wagner Jr. 1961).

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

Botrychium dissectum is highly variable, even within the same population. In Florida and along the Gulf Coast, the extremely lacerate form is absent, and the blade segments are usually strongly angular, trowel-shaped, and dentate. In eastern Kentucky and central Tennessee in forested valleys, on shale and limestone soils, plants have narrowly linear, somewhat blunt-tipped segments with a more or less whitish gray central line above the veins. This variant, which grows with B. dissectum, may deserve recognition as a distinct species.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Ophioglossaceae > Botrychium > subg. Sceptridium > sect. Sceptridium Ophioglossaceae > Botrychium > subg. Sceptridium > sect. Sceptridium
Sibling taxa
B. acuminatum, B. ascendens, 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. 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
Synonyms Osmunda biternata, B. dissectum var. tenuifolium, B. tenuifolium B. obliquum
Name authority (Savigny) L. Underwood: Bot. Gaz. 22: 407. (1896) Sprengel: Anleit. Kenntn. Gew. 3: 172. (1804)
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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