Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium multifidum

Botrychium montanum

botryche à feuille couchée, leather grapefern, leathery grapefern

mountain moonwort, western goblin
Pinnae

to 10 pairs, approximate to remote, horizontal to ascending, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, divided to tip.

or lobes to 6 pairs, ascending, mostly widely separated, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, extremely variable in outline, linear to cuneate, undivided to tip, margins entire to coarsely dentate, distal pinnae or blade tip cut into 3–5 lobes, apex angular, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.
Trophophore

stalk 2–15 cm, 0.3–1.2 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade shiny green, plane, ternate, 2–3-pinnate, to 25 × 35 cm, leathery.

stalk 0.3–2 cm, 0.2–0.5 times length of rachis;

blade dull, glaucous, gray-green, mostly linear, lobed to 1-pinnate, to 6 × 0.7 cm, somewhat succulent.
Pinnules

obliquely ovate, rounded, margins usually ± entire to shallowly crenulate, sometimes inconspicuously and shallowly denticulate, apex rounded, venation pinnate.

Sporophores

2–3-pinnate, 1.2 times length of trophophore.

1-pinnate, 1.5–4.5 times length of sporophore.
2n

=90.

=90.

Botrychium multifidum

Botrychium montanum
Phenology Leaves green over winter, appearing in spring. Leaves appearing in late spring to late summer.
Habitat Widespread mainly in fields Dark coniferous forests, usually near swamps and streams
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) 1000–2000 m (3300–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SD; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; Greenland; Europe; nw Asia
from FNA
CA; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Botrychium multifidum is rather similar to B. robustum (Ruprecht) L.Underwood of Japan, eastern China, and the former Soviet republics. Specimens identified as B. robustum have been collected on Unalaska Island.

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

Botrychium montanum may come to be recognized as a subspecies of the eastern B. mormo, from which it differs in lacking an attached gametophyte and in having a more dissected trophophore apex, glaucous blades, shorter trophophore stalk, earlier seasonal development, and full opening of sporangia when mature. Botrychium montanum and B. mormo differ from B. simplex in being more robust and in having truncate, adnate, lateral lobes on the trophophore blade and dentate to deeply cleft trophophore apex.

(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. Botrychium
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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 multifida, B. californicum, B. coulteri, B. silaifolium
Name authority (S. G. Gmelin) Ruprecht: Bemerk. Botrychium 40. (1859) W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 71: 29. (1981)
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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