E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Botrychium hesperium (Maxon & R.T. Clausen) W.H. Wagner & Lellinger
western moonwort
Ophioglossaceae (Adder's-tongue family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Bryan Kelly-McArthur  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #84167)

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Distribution of Botrychium hesperium
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Species Information

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General:
Deciduous perennial, 3-15 cm tall.
Sporophores:
1- to 3-pinnate, 2-3 times length of trophophores, with a single midrib, this midrib sometimes with 2 smaller, less conspicious ribs.
Trophophores:
Triangular-shaped to narrowly oblong, dull, grey-green, the stalks up to 1/4 the length of the trophophores; blades 1- to 2-pinnate, up to 6 cm long and up to 5 cm wide; pinnae to 6 pairs, usually approximate or overlapping, with entire or slightly lobed margins; the basal pair of pinnae, dissimilar in size, commonly much larger and more divided than the adjacent pair.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic grassy slopes in montane to subalpine zones; rare in SC and SE BC; E to ON and S to MI, MN, CO and AZ, disjunct in ON and MI.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Botrychium hesperium

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 1320 1426 1550
Slope Gradient (%) 4 15 25
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		45 112 180
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		3 3 3
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 3
Modal BEC Zone Class
 MS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: MS(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Botrychium lunaria subsp. occidentale A.& D. L÷ve & Kapoor
Botrychium matricariifolium subsp. hesperium Maxon & Clausen
Botrychium matricariifolium var. hesperium (Maxon & Clausen) Broun

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Ophioglossaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Botrychium hesperium
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-11-24 4:41:58 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
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