Botrychium lanceolatum

Lance Leaf Grape Fern

Lance Leaf Grape Fern
Photo Courtesy USDA Plants Database

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The natural history of the northwoods

Name:

• Botrychium, from the Greek botrus (botrys), "grape"; the Grape Ferns
• lanceolatum, from the Latin lancea, "lance"; lance-shaped
• Common Name, from the narrow, pointed shape of the leaf segments
• Other common names include: Triangle Grape Fern, Triangle Moonwort, Narrow Triangle Moonwort, Botryche lancéolé (Qué), Botrychium à feuilles lancéolées, Botrychium lancéolé, Botrychium élancé (Fr), Topplåsbräken, Handlåsbräken, Spetsbladig Låbräken (Swe), Handmarinøkkel (Nor), Suikeanoidanlukko (Fin), Lensutungljurt (Is), Lanzett-Mondraute (Ger), Miyamahanawarabi (Jpn)

Taxonomy:

• Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
  • Division Polypodiophyta, the True Ferns
    • Class Filicopsida
      • Order Ophioglossales
        • Family Ophioglossaceae, the Adder's Tongue or Succulent Ferns
          • Genus Botrychium, the Grape Ferns
• Taxonomic Serial Number: 17178
• Twelve species of Grape Fern (Botrychium spp.) occur in Canoe Country, all but Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum) being rare or extremely rare. These are woodland jewels, rarely seen.

Description:

• A stout, rather fleshy little grape fern of cool moist woods, growing 4"-6" tall. Individuals tend to be inconspicuous and scattered.
• Sterile Frond a single leaf, broadly triangular and high on stalk, about 1" long, twice cut, and semi-erect, resembling daisy leaf in shape; dark green, smooth, and fleshy. Leaves appear in late spring or early summer, dying as late as October.
• Fertile frond rises above leaf with erect, branched clusters. Yellow spore cases prominent. Spores borne May/June.
• Stalk pale green, slender, succulent, and fragile; about 4" long
• Rootstalk small, upright.
  • Roots smooth, fleshy, and spreading; in deeply rooted, tangled masses.

Identification:

• Identifiable as a Grape Fern by its diminutive size, succulent stem, and single leaf.
• Distinguished from other small Grape Ferns by the broadly triangular leaf attached high on the stem, looking rather like a miniature Rattlesnake Fern (Botrychium virginianum)
• Field Marks
  • diminutive size
  • succulent stem
  • single broadly triangular leaf high on stem
  • branched clusters on fertile frond

Distribution:

• Canadian Rockies south into Northwestern Montana. Ontario to Newfoundland, south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Also Eurasia.
• At the western edge of its range in Minnesota, where it is Listed as threatened. In northeastern Minnesota, collected only from St. Louis County.

Habitat:

• Shaded woods with acid soils.

Fire:

Associates:

History:

Uses:

Reproduction:

• Reproduces by spores

Propagation:

• By spores (difficult)

Cultivation:

• Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
• Not generally cultivated.

Links:

• Den Virtuella Floran, Naturhistoriska riksmuseet, Stockholm

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