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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Botrychium ascendens
upswept moonwort

 
Scientific Name: Botrychium ascendens W.H. Wagner
English Name: upswept 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: BOTRASC
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Plantae Filicinophyta Ophioglossopsida Ophioglossales Ophioglossaceae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G4 (Dec 2022)
Provincial Status: S4 (Apr 2019)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 2 - May be at risk (2010)
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description: Upward-lobed Moonwort is a small, perennial fern with a single aboveground frond. The frond is usually about 10 cm tall, yellow-green, and divided into two segments which share a common stalk. The mostly sterile segment is once pinnatifid with up to six pairs of strongly ascending, narrowly triangular pinnae which have deeply lacerate margins. The sterile segment often has a few sporangia on the margins of the pinnae or on small branches. 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.
Technical Description:
Diagnostic Characteristics: Strongly ascending pinnae with lacerate margins and a yellow-green color are diagnostic of Botrychium ascendens. This species and B. pedunculosum are the only grapeferns that often have extra sporangia on the proximal pinnae (Wagner and Wagner, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993). It may be easily confused with B. crenulatum, B. minganense, and B. montanum. Reliable field determination of moonworts depends on the careful use of technical keys and on 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. Also, the few diagnostic characters may not be apparent in small plants.
Similar Species:
Global Reproduction Comments: Botrychium
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence) 		Alpine/Tundra / Alpine/Subalpine Meadow / Unknown
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Facultative - occasional use
Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - occasional use
Riparian / Riparian Forest / Facultative - occasional use
Global Habitat Comments: Botrychium ascendens occurs in open habitats and microsites with evidence of slight to moderate disturbances, such as lower montane mesic coniferous forest, open subalpine slopes, and mountain and riparian meadows. It has been found with other species of Botrychium and with Pinus jeffreyi (yellow pine), Picea engelmannii (Engelmann spruce), Thuja plicata (western red cedar), and Abies lasiocarpa (subalpine fir). It occurs from near sea level in Quebec to 3535 meters (11600 feet) elevation in Colorado (Ackerfield 2015, Beatty et al. 2003, SEINet 2022, Wagner and Wagner, in Flora of North America Editorial Committee 1993).
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Elevation (m) (min / max): Provincial: 
Known Pests:
Pollen Vector:
Pollinator:
Dispersal: ABIOTIC
Water
Wind
   
 
Provincial Inventory
Inventory Priority:
Ownership of occurrences (Known locations):
Inventory Need:
 
Economic Attributes
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: Botrychium ascendens occurs in western, northern and northeastern North America, in the United States and Canada. It occurs from southern Alaska and southwestern Yukon Territory, south at higher elevations in the mountains of California, southern Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, across Canada to Newfoundland, and in northern Minnesota, and New England in the United States. The range extent is estimated to be 12.5 million square kilometers (CNDDB 2022, GBIF 2022, iNaturalist 2022, NatureServe 2022, SEINet 2022).
Disjunct, more common elsewhere:
Peripheral, major distribution elsewhere:
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: KAJ (1995), rev. C. Nordman (2022).
Last Updated: Dec 16, 2022
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
Last Literature Search:
   
References and Related Literature
Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX. 818 pp.
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.
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.
Fertig, W. 2000. November 24-last update. Botrychium ascendens State Species Abstract. Online. Available: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/WYNDD/PDF_files/Plant_Summaries/B/Botrychium%20ascendens.pdf. Accessed 2003, May 6.
Idaho Dept. of Fish and Game (IDFG). 1999. Idaho Species of Special Concern. Online: http://www.state.id.us/fishgame/ngconcrn.htm.
Lesica, P. and K. Ahlenslager. 1989. Demographic monitoring of three species of BOTRYCHIUM (Ophioglossaceae) in Waterton Lakes Park, Alberta. Unpublished 1989 progress report, 5 pp. plus appendices.
Lipkin, R. and D.F. Murray. 1997. Alaska rare plant field guide. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Natural Heritage Program, and U.S. Forest Service. 84 pp. (unpaginated)
Mantas, M. and R. S. Wirt. 1995. Moonworts of western Montana (BOTRYCHIUM subgenus BOTRYCHIUM). Flathead National Forest. 103 pp.
Montana Natural Heritage Program. 2003. 3 September 2002 last update. Botrychium ascendens W.H. Wagner. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Online. Available: http://nhp.nris.state.mt.us/plants/pguide.asp (Accessed 2003).
Morefield, J.D., editor. 2001. Nevada rare plant atlas [with rare plant fact sheets]. Available as a pdf file at: http://heritage.nv.gov/atlas/atlas.html. Compiled by the Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Carson City, for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Reno, Nevada.
Paris, C. A., F. S. Wagner and W. H. Wagner, Jr. 1989. Cryptic species, species delimitation, and taxonomic practice in the homosporus ferns. Amer. Fern J. 79:46-54.
Wagner, D.H. 1992. Guide to the species of Botrychium in Oregon. Biology Dept., University of Oregon, Eugene. 19 pp. + Figures.
Wagner, Jr., W. H., F. S. Wagner, C. Haufler and J. K. Emerson. 1984. A new nothospecies of moonwort (Ophioglossaceae, BOTRYCHIUM). Canadian Journal of Botany 62:629-634.
Wagner, W.H. Jr. and F.S. Wagner. 1986. Three new species of moonworts (Botrychium subg. Botrychium) endemic in western North America. American Fern Journal 76(2):33-47.
Wagner, W.H., Jr. and F.S. Wagner. 1990. Notes on the fan-leaflet group of moonworts in North America with descriptions of two new members. American Fern Journal 80(3):73-81.
Wagner, W.H., Jr., and F. Wagner. 1981. New species of moonworts, Botrychium subg. Botrychium (Ophioglossaceae), from North America. American Fern J. 71(1):20, 26.
 

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. 2022. Species Summary: Botrychium ascendens. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 3, 2026).