Botrychium matricariaefolium

Matricary Grape Fern

Matricary Grape Fern
Photo courtesy Wisconsin State Herbarium
and K. Kohout

Flora, fauna, earth, and sky...
The natural history of the northwoods

Name:

• Botrychium, from the Greek botrus (botrys), "grape"; the Grape Ferns
• matricariaefolium, from the Latin, Matricaria, the name for German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita), and folium, "leaf"; hence "with chamomile-like leaves".
• Common Name, an anglicized version of the Latin species name
• Other common names include: Camomile Grape Fern, Daisy Leaf Grape Fern, Daisy Leaf Moonwort, Botryche à feuille de Matricaire (Qué), Botrychiurn à feuilles de Matricaire (Fr), Rutlåsbräken, Lundlåsbräken (Swe), Huldrnøkkel , Huldrenøkkel (Nor), Kamillebladet Månerude (Dan), Saunionoidanlukko (Fin), Ästige Mondraute (Ger), Vraticka hermánkolistá (Cz)

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: 17184
• Also known as Botrychium matricariifolium, Botrychium lunaria var matricariifolium, Botrychium neglectum, Botrychium ramosum
• 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, pale green, oblong, resembling daisy leaf in shape; about 1" long, twice cut, and erect. Often clasping spore-bearing stalk.
• Fertile frond rises above leaf with erect, branched clusters. Yellow spore cases prominent.
• Stem pale green, slender, succulent, and fragile; about 4" long
• Rootstalk small, upright.
  • Roots smooth, fleshy, and spreading; about 2" below the surface.

Identification:

• Identifiable as a Grape Fern by its diminutive size, succulent stem, and single leaf.
• Distinguished from other small Grape Ferns by the oblong leaf attached somewhat below the top of the stem, often clasping the fertile frond.
• Field Marks
  • diminutive size
  • succulent stem
  • single oblong leaf
  • branched clusters on fertile frond

Distribution:

• Ontario to Newfoundland, south to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
• Also Scandanavia through Russia, south to France, Italy, and the Balkans.
• At the western edge of its range in Minnesota.

Habitat:

• Woodland edges and thickets in slightly acidic or neutral soil
• Also, old fields and secondary growth woods

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
• Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

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