Botrychium

• Authority

  Mickel, John T. & Beitel, Joseph M. 1988. Pteridophyte Flora of Oaxaca, Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 46: 1-580.

• Family

  Ophioglossaceae

• Scientific Name

  Botrychium

• Description

  Genus Description - Terrestrial; stem a subterranean, erect, fleshy caudex; roots thick, fleshy; fronds mostly one (rarely two), with two distinct parts: a spreading sterile pinnately to temately divided sterile blade, the trophophore (pinnate to quadripinnate, veins free) and erect sporophore (2-3 times divided), the sporophore stalked and terminated by a panicle-like sporangial cluster, usually exceeding the sterile blade in length, arising from base of the trophophore blade or lower on petiole at or below ground level; sporangia large, globose, opening by a horizontal slit; spores one to several thousand per sporangium, tetrahedral; gametophytes subterranean, whitish or brownish, mycorrhizal, non-green.

• Discussion

  Lectotype (chosen by J. Smith, Hist. fil. 369. 1875): Botrychium lunaria (Linnaeus) Swartz [=Osmunda lunaria Linnaeus]. Sceptridium Lyon, Bot. Gaz. (Crawfordsville) 40: 457. 1905. Lectotype (chosen by Clausen, 1938: 24): Sceptridium obliquum (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) Lyon [=Botrychium obliquum Muhlenberg ex Willdenow; =Botrychium dissectum Sprengel f. obliquum (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) Femald]. Botrychium section Osmundopteris Milde, Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 19: 96. 1896. Botrychium subgenus Osmundopteris (Milde) Clausen, Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 19(2): 93. 1938. Osmundopteris (Milde) Small, Ferns s.e. United States 377, 482. 1938. Type: Botrychium virginianum (Linnaeus) Swartz. Botrypus Michaux, Fl. bor.-amer. 2: 274. 1803. Type: Botrypus virginianus (Linnaeus) Michaux [=Botrychium virginianum (Linnaeus) Swartz]. Botrychium has 45-55 species, largely of temperate regions, usually growing in pastures, grassy meadows and open second-growth woodlands. Reference: Clausen, R. T. 1938. A monograph of the Ophioglossaceae. Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 19(2): 1-177.