Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium spathulatum

Paradox moonwort, peculiar moonwort, two-spike moonwort

botryche à segments spatulés, spathulate botrychium, spatulate moonwort, spoon-shape moonwort
Pinnae

to 8 pairs, ascending, remote, 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, mostly narrowly spatulate to linear-spatulate and rounded or ± 2-cleft, lobed to unlobed to tip, margins mainly entire or occasionally irregularly and shallowly incised, apex rounded-notched, venation like ribs of fan, midrib absent.
Sporophores

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

1–2-pinnate, 1.2–2 times length of trophophore.
Trophophore(s)

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

stalk 0–1 mm;

blade shiny yellow-green, narrowly deltate, flat, 1-pinnate, to 8 × 2.5 cm, thick, leathery.
2n

=180.

=180.

Botrychium paradoxum

Botrychium spathulatum
Phenology Leaves appearing late spring through summer.
Habitat Sporophores in June to August. Difficult to detect, plants usually hidden under other vegetation, in snowfields, secondary growth pastures Sand dunes, old fields, and grassy railroad sidings
Elevation 1500–3000 m (4900–9800 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
MT; UT; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MI; MT; AB; BC; NB; NT; ON; PE; QC; YT
[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 spathulatum has long been confused with the more common B. minganense, with which it often grows in the Lake Superior region. The leaves appear later in B. spathulatum than in B. minganense.

(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. mormo, B. multifidum, B. oneidense, B. pallidum, B. paradoxum, B. pedunculosum, B. pinnatum, B. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. virginianum
Name authority W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 71: 24. (1981) W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 80: 77. (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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