Flora of North America species comparison

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Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium paradoxum

botryche de virginie, common grapefern, rattlesnake fern

Paradox moonwort, peculiar moonwort, two-spike 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.

Trophophore(s)

sessile;

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

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

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

=184.

=180.

Botrychium virginianum

Botrychium paradoxum
Phenology Leaves seasonal, appearing in early spring and dying in late summer.
Habitat Common to abundant, especially in shaded forests and shrubby second growth, rare or absent in arid regions Sporophores in June to August. Difficult to detect, plants usually hidden under other vegetation, in snowfields, secondary growth pastures
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 1500–3000 m (4900–9800 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
MT; UT; AB; BC; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Botrychium virginianum is the most widespread Botrychium in North America.

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

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.)
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. 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
Synonyms Osmunda virginiana
Name authority (Linnaeus) Swartz: J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 111. (1801) W. H. Wagner: Amer. Fern J. 71: 24. (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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