Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw.

  • Authority

    Mickel, John T. & Smith, Alan R. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88: 1-1054.

  • Family

    Ophioglossaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw.

  • Description

    Species Description - Buds hairy; leaf sheaths open; fronds 15–75 cm long, sparsely hairy to glabrous; sterile blades 7–21 x 10–24 cm, deltate, ternately compound, to tripinnate-pinnatifid, pinnae above the basal pair mostly bipinnate-pinnatifid; ultimate segments 4–12 mm long, oblong to ovate, dentate or acutely incised at apex; leaf tissue thin, herbaceous, glabrous or with a few hairs; sporophores 5–15 cm long, attached at the base of sterile blades, equaling to exceeding the length of sterile blades, commonly absent; 2n=90 (Michigan).

  • Discussion

    Osmunda virginiana L., Sp. Pl. 2: 1064. 1753. Type. “America.” Kalm s.n. (LINN 1244.3).

    Osmunda cicutaria Savigny in Lamark, Encycl. 4: 650. 1797 [1798]. Botrychium cicutarium (Savigny) Sw., Syn. Fil. 171. 1806. Type. Plumier, Traite´ Foug. Ame´r. 136, pl. 159, 1705, based on a plant from Hispaniola collected by Plumier.

    Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw. var. mexicanum Hook. & Grev., Bot. Misc. 3: 223. 1833 (as B. virginicum ß mexicanum). Syntypes. Mexico. Veracruz: Jalapa, Chamisso s.n., “Rigla,” Capt. Veitch s.n. (K?).

    Botrychium brachystachys Kunze, Linnaea 18: 305. 1844. Type. Mexico. Roemer 35 (LZ, destroyed).

    Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw. var. meridionale Butters, Rhodora 19: 213. 1917. Botrychium ß virginianum subsp. meridionale (Butters) R. T. Clausen, Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 19(2): 103. 1938. Type. Mexico. Chiapas: Ghiesbreght 252 (GH!; isotype YU!).

    Botrychium cicutarium was reported by Clausen (1938) to have its fertile part equal to or shorter than the sterile and persistent leaves, but this character appears unreliable. Some of the Mexican material seems to have coarser cutting and more conspicuously pilose midribs than material of this species from the United States, but delimitation of B. cicutarium as a distinct taxon does not seem possible. A strange specimen from Hidalgo (Sa´nchez M. 130, US) has very large fronds (blades 26 x 36 cm, common stalks to 17 mm wide (pressed flat), roots 2–5 mm diam., segments to 13 x 9 cm, dissection bipinnate-pinnatifid to tripinnate. Most likely this represents the most extreme of the wide variation seen in B. virginianum.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial in commonly disturbed, moist, shady forests; 1380-2900 m. Can, USA; Mexico; Guat, Hond, Salv, CR, Nic, Pan; Gr Ant; Col, Ven, Ec, Peru, Braz, Bol; Europe, Asia.

    Mexico North America| Asia| Europe| Bolivia South America| Brazil South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Ecuador South America| Venezuela South America| Colombia South America| Panama Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| El Salvador Central America| Honduras Central America| Guatemala Central America| Canada North America| United States of America North America|