Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium mormo

Paradox moonwort, peculiar moonwort, two-spike moonwort

little goblin, little goblin moonwort
Pinnae

or lobes to 3 pairs, ascending, mostly widely separated, usually fused together in distal half of trophophore, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, extremely variable in outline, linear to fan-shaped, undivided to tip, margins entire to coarsely dentate, proximal pinnae or blade tip not dentate or with 2–3 shallow, broad teeth, apex angular, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.
Sporophores

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

1-pinnate, 0.2–3 cm, 0.2–3.5 times length of trophophore.
Trophophore(s)

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

stalk 0.2–2.5 cm, usually 0.3–0.6 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade yellow-green to green, shiny, linear to linear-spatulate, lobed (rarely 1-pinnate), to 5 × 1 cm, very succulent.
2n

=180.

=90.

Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium mormo
Phenology Leaves appearing in late spring to fall.
Habitat Sporophores in June to August. Difficult to detect, plants usually hidden under other vegetation, in snowfields, secondary growth pastures Extremely sporadic, in rich northern basswood, beech, sugar maple forest
Elevation 1500–3000 m (4900–9800 ft) 300–600 m (1000–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MT; UT; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MI; MN; WI
[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.)

The highly seasonal appearance of Botrychium mormo is more like a fungus carpophore than a moonwort. In wet years both mature and juvenile plants are fairly easy to find in known localities; in dry years they do not appear aboveground. Botrychium mormo may be eaten and dispersed by animals. The succulent nature of the whole plant may make it attractive to herbivores, and because the sporangia do not open, passage through animal digestive tracts may be required to facilitate the release of the spores. Another unusual feature of B. mormo is the tendency for gametophytes to persist on mature sporophytes.

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. 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. 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: Amer. Fern J. 71: 26. (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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