BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Botrychium montanum
mountain moonwort
| Scientific Name: | Botrychium montanum W.H. Wagner | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | mountain moonwort | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vascular Plant | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | BOTRMON | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G3G4 (Nov 2021) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3 (Apr 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | |||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 2 - May be at risk (2010) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | Mountain Moonwort is a small perennial fern with a single aboveground frond. The frond varies in height but may reach a height of 12 cm. It is a dull, glaucous gray-green, somewhat succulent, and divided into two segments which share a relatively short common stalk. The sterile segment is once pinnatifid with well separated, irregular, angular, ascending lobes with entire or toothed margins. The fertile segment is longer than the sterile segment, is branched, and bears grape-like sporangia. Spores germinate underground and develop into minute subterranean, non-photosynthetic gametophytes which depend on an endophytic fungus for nourishment (Vanderhorst 1997). | ||||||||||
| Technical Description: | |||||||||||
| Diagnostic Characteristics: | The glaucous gray-green color, succulent texture, relatively short common stalk, and irregular angular lobes rather than distinct pinnae are diagnostic of Botrychium montanum. Among the moonworts of Montana, B. montanum is relatively easily recognized, but may be mistaken for B. ascendens; also, small plants may be confused with other species (Vanderhorst 1997). Reliable field determination of moonworts depends on the careful use of technical keys and comparison with silhouette outlines of verified specimens. Identification can be complicated because there is often a high degree of morphological variability between individuals in a population and between populations of the same species; several species may grow together at the same site, and the few diagnostic characters may not be apparent in small plants. | ||||||||||
| Similar Species: | |||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Obligate
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Botrychium montanum occurs under old growth Western Red-cedar (Thuja plicata) on alluvial terraces along small to moderate sized streams where the soil is moist and high in organic matter. Most of the known sites have saturated soils (Potash 1998). In California, it grows in similar conditions under incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens). It also occurs in fens, seeps and meadows along streams where the substrate is saturated (Farrar 2011). On the Wenatchee National Forest (in Washington), most sites are located in the Tsuga heterophylla/Asarum caudatum plant association (Potash 1998). Though these habitats of dark forest and open meadows have opposite extremes of light, they have in common a continuous supply of moisture and a high mineral content. Some large populations have been found in high elevation meadows in the Northern Cascade Range in northeastern Washington. Species of cedar (Cupressaceae, such as Thuja plicata and Calocedrus decurrens) support endomycorrhizal fungi which are required by species of Botrychium, perennial herbaceous vegetation also supports endomycorrhizal fungi (Farrar 2011). It has been found at elevations from 600 to 2100 meters (SEINet 2021). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Elevation (m) (min / max): | Provincial: | ||||||||||
| Known Pests: | |||||||||||
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| Pollinator: | |||||||||||
| Dispersal: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Inventory | |||||||||||
| Inventory Priority: | |||||||||||
| Ownership of occurrences (Known locations): | |||||||||||
| Inventory Need: | |||||||||||
| Economic Attributes | |||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Botrychium montanum occurs only in western North America, in Canada and the United States. It occurs in southern Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, northern Idaho, northwestern Montana, Oregon, and northern California. The range extent is estimated to be 1,360,000 square kilometers (Farrar 2011, NatureServe 2021, SEINet 2021). Most of the known occurrences have been reported from Oregon, Montana, California and Washington (NatureServe 2021, SEINet 2021, Vanderhorst 1997). | ||||||||||
| Disjunct, more common elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere: | |||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | JM | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Oct 06, 1994 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| Last Literature Search: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Penny. 2002. Rare Native Vascular Plants of British Columbia, 2nd ed. B.C. Conserv. Data Centre, Terrestrial Inf. Branch, Victoria. 358pp. |
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Douglas, G.W., D. Meidinger, and J. Pojar, eds. 2000. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Vol. 5, Dicotyledons (Salicaceae through Zygophyllaceae) and Pteridophytes. B.C. Minist. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Minist. For., Victoria. 389pp. |
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Farrar, D. R. 2011, December last update. Botrychium montanum species description, map, and photo page. In Farrar, D.R. 2011, December last update. Moonwort (Botrychium) systematics. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames. Online. Available: https://www.herbarium.iastate.edu/moonwort-botrychium-systematics (accessed 2021). |
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Mantas, M. and R. S. Wirt. 1995. Moonworts of western Montana (BOTRYCHIUM subgenus BOTRYCHIUM). Flathead National Forest. 103 pp. |
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Potash, L.L. 1998. Management Recommendations for Mountain grape-fern (Botrychium montanum W. H. Wagner) v. 2.0. Bureau of Land Management. Online. Available: https://www.blm.gov/or/plans/surveyandmanage/MR/VascularPlants/section5.htm (Accessed 2021). |
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Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2021. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2021). |
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Vanderhorst, J. 1997. Conservation assessment of sensitive moonworts (Ophioglossaceaee; Botrychium subgenus Botrychium) on the Kootenai National Forest. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana. 82 pp + appendices. |
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Wagner, D.H. 1992. Guide to the species of Botrychium in Oregon. Biology Dept., University of Oregon, Eugene. 19 pp. + Figures. |
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Williston, P. 2004. Vascular plant species at risk in the Beaver Valley, Glacier National Park. Rep. prepared for Parks Can. by Gentian Botanical Research, Smithers, BC. 27pp.+app. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1994. Species Summary: Botrychium montanum. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 8, 2026).