Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium jenmanii

botryche de virginie, common grapefern, rattlesnake fern

Alabama grapefern, Dixie grapefern
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 5 pairs, well separated, slightly descending to ascending, distance between 1st and 2d pinnae not or slightly more than between 2d and 3d pairs;

basal pinnae remotely alternate and long-stalked (basal pinnae in all other botrychiums are opposite to subopposite and short-stalked), divided to tip.
Trophophore

sessile;

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

stalk 2–15 cm, 0.8–1.2 times length of trophophore rachis;

blade somewhat dull gray-green, plane, 3-pinnate, to 18 × 26 cm, herbaceous.
Pinnules

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

ovate to fan-shaped, margins uniformly denticulate, apex rounded, venation like ribs of fan with short midrib.
Sporophores

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

2-pinnate, 1.2–2.5 times length of trophophore.
2n

=184.

=180.

Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium jenmanii
Phenology Leaves seasonal, appearing in early spring and dying in late summer. Leaves green over winter, arising at variable times during last half of summer, meiosis as late as September.
Habitat Common to abundant, especially in shaded forests and shrubby second growth, rare or absent in arid regions Woods and grassy places
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 50–500 m (200–1600 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 FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TN; VA; West Indies in Greater Antilles
Discussion

Botrychium virginianum is the most widespread Botrychium in North America.

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

Botrychium jenmanii occurs in a variety of habitats. In hardwoods and especially pine woods, it is associated with B. biternatum; in open grassy places and lawns it is found with B. lunarioides. In many ways, B. jenmanii is intermediate between B. biternatum and B. lunarioides, and it is possibly their allopolyploid derivative (W. H. Wagner Jr. 1968). It is the only tetraploid among New World members of subg. Sceptidrium.

(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. Sceptridium > sect. Sceptridium
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. boreale, B. campestre, B. crenulatum, B. dissectum, B. echo, B. gallicomontanum, B. hesperium, 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 B. alabamense
Name authority (Linnaeus) Swartz: J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 111. (1801) L. Underwood: Fern Bull. 8: 59. (1900)
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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