Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium boreale

botryche de virginie, common grapefern, rattlesnake fern

northern moonwort
Pinnae

to 12 pairs, usually approximate to overlapping, slightly ascending, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs, lanceolate, divided to tip.

to 6 pairs, ascending, mostly overlapping, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae only slightly greater than between 2d and 3d pairs, basal pinna pair usually considerably larger than adjacent pair, obliquely rhomboidal to oblanceolate-spatulate, mostly shallowly lobed to rarely pinnate, margins entire to very narrowly shallowly crenulate, apex pointed, venation pinnate only at bases of proximal pinnae, otherwise ± like ribs of fan.
Trophophore

sessile;

blade pale green, 3–4-pinnate, to 25 × 33 cm, thin, herbaceous.

stalk sessile or nearly so;

blade shiny green, ovate-deltate, 1–2-pinnate, to 6 cm, fleshy.
Pinnules

lanceolate and deeply lobed, lobes linear, serrate, apex pointed, venation pinnate, midrib present.

Sporophores

2-pinnate, 0.5–1.5(–2) times length of trophophore.

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

=184.

Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium boreale
Phenology Leaves seasonal, appearing in early spring and dying in late summer. Leaves appearing in July and August.
Habitat Common to abundant, especially in shaded forests and shrubby second growth, rare or absent in arid regions Dry meadows, south-facing slopes
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 200–600 m (700–2000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Mexico; Central America; South America in Brazil; Colombia; Ecuador; Peru; Eurasia
from USDA
Greenland
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Botrychium virginianum is the most widespread Botrychium in North America.

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

This well-marked northern Eurasian species is best known in Scandinavia, where it occurs most commonly with Botrychium lunaria, with which it occasionally hybridizes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Ophioglossaceae > Botrychium > subg. Osmundopteris 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. paradoxum, B. pedunculosum, B. pinnatum, B. pseudopinnatum, B. pumicola, B. rugulosum, B. simplex, B. spathulatum
B. acuminatum, B. ascendens, B. biternatum, 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. spathulatum, B. virginianum
Synonyms Osmunda virginiana
Name authority (Linnaeus) Swartz: J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 111. (1801) J. Milde: Bot. Zeitung 15(51): 880. (1857)
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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