Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium campestre

Paradox moonwort, peculiar moonwort, two-spike moonwort

botryche champètre, Iowa moonwort, prairie moonwort
Pinnae

to 5(–9) pairs, spreading, usually remote, separated 1–3 times pinna width, in some populations irregularly and extensively fused with considerable webbing along rachis, 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 the adjacent pair, mostly linear to linear-spatulate, undivided to tip, margins crenulate to dentate, usually notched or cleft into 2 or several segments, apex rounded to acute, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.
Sporophores

double, 2 per leaf, 1-pinnate, 0.5–4 cm.

1(–2, rarely)-pinnate, 1–1.5 times length of trophophore.
Trophophore(s)

converted entirely to second fertile segment, stalk 1/2 length of fertile segment.

stalk usually absent but sometimes broadly tapered to 10 mm in forms with coalesced proximal pinnae;

blade glaucescent, oblong, longitudinally folded when alive, 1-pinnate, to 4 × 1.3 cm, very fleshy.
2n

=180.

=90.

Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium campestre
Phenology Leaves appearing in early spring and dying in late spring and early summer, long before those of associated moonworts.
Habitat Sporophores in June to August. Difficult to detect, plants usually hidden under other vegetation, in snowfields, secondary growth pastures Extremely inconspicuous in prairies, dunes, grassy railroad sidings, and fields over limestone
Elevation 1500–3000 m (4900–9800 ft) 50–1200 m (200–3900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MT; UT; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; IA; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NY; SD; WI; WY; AB; ON; SK
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The leaf structure of Botrychium paradoxum is uniform and unique. Very rare teratological individuals of other moonwort species may have trophophores partially or wholly transformed into sporophores.

Botrychium × watertonense W.H. Wagner, known only from one locality in western Alberta, is the sterile hybrid of B. hesperium and B. paradoxum. It can be identified by its trophophore pinnae; all are bordered with sporangia. It may reproduce by some unknown mechanism, such as unreduced spores (W.H. Wagner Jr., F. S. Wagner, et al. 1984).

Of conservation concern.

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

Botrychium campestre is one of four moonwort species that commonly produce dense clusters of minute, spheric gemmae at the root bases. Peculiar forms of B. campestre with coalescent pinnae are found on dunes in the vicinity of Lake Michigan.

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. 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. pedunculosum, B. pinnatum, B. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. spathulatum, B. virginianum
B. acuminatum, B. ascendens, B. biternatum, B. boreale, 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
Name authority W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 71: 24. (1981) W. H. Wagner & Farrar: Amer. Fern J. 76: 39, figs. 2, 4, 5. (1986)
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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