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

Botrychium pinnatum H. St. John
northwestern moonwort (northern moonwort)
Ophioglossaceae (Adder's-tongue family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ryan Batten  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #23782)

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Distribution of Botrychium pinnatum
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Species Information

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General:
Deciduous perennial, 3-15 cm tall.
Sporophores:
2-pinnate, about 2 times length of trophophores.
Trophophores:
Broadly triangular or egg-shaped, unstalked or short stalked, 1- to 2-pinnate, up to 8 cm long; pinnae to 8 pairs, approximate or overlapping, with entire or slightly lobed margins and rounded tips, the lowest similar in size.
Notes:
The only North American collections of Botrychium boreale Milde have been recently collected in Kootenay National Park, SE BC (W.H. Wagner, pers. comm.). It is difficult to separate from B. pinnatum, but the lowermost pinnae have shallow, narrow sinuses (they are wide and deep in B. pinnatum).

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to moist stream banks, meadows and heath in the montane and subalpine zones; infrequent throughout BC; N to AK, YT and NT and S to CO, AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Botrychium pinnatum

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) 15 702 2075
Slope Gradient (%) 0 37 90
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		50 80 359
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 3 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 A
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 27
Modal BEC Zone Class
 CWH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(2), BAFA(1), BWBS(1), CMA(1), CWH(12), ESSF(4), ICH(2), MH(3)

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 boreale subsp. obtusilobum (Rupr.) R.T. Clausen
Botrychium boreale var. obtusilobum (Rupr.) Broun

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Ophioglossaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Botrychium pinnatum
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: 2024-07-27 9:36:46 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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