Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium multifidum

Botrychium pallidum

botryche à feuille couchée, leather grapefern, leathery grapefern

botryche pâle, pale botrychium, pale moonwort
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.

to 5 pairs, ascending, approximate, 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, fan-shaped, strongly asymmetric, lobed to divided to tip, margins entire to irregularly crenate-dentate, largest pinnae often split into 2 unequal lobes, apex rounded, 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 2–8 mm, 0–1/5 length of trophophore rachis;

blade glaucous, pale green to whitish, oblong, ± longitudinally folded when alive, 1-pinnate, to 4 × 1 cm, herbaceous.
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.

1–2-pinnate, 1.5–4 times length of trophophore.
2n

=90.

=90.

Botrychium multifidum

Botrychium pallidum
Phenology Leaves green over winter, appearing in spring. Leaves appearing in late spring and early summer.
Habitat Widespread mainly in fields Sporadic, mainly in open fields but also in shaded places
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) 0–2600 m (0–8500 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
CO; ME; MI; MB; ON; QC; SK
[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.)

A usually tiny plant, Botrychium pallidum is separable from dwarfed and narrow sun forms of B. minganense by the peculiar, often folded pinnae and pale green to whitish color. It has been found growing with B. campestre, B. echo, B. hesperium, B. lunaria, B. matricariifolium, B. minganense, and B. spathulatum. Its small size may cause it to be overlooked. This is one of four moonwort species that commonly produce dense clusters of minute, spheric gemmae at the root bases.

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. 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. montanum, B. mormo, B. multifidum, B. oneidense, 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. 80: 74. (1990)
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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