Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw.

  • 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 virginianum (L.) Sw.

  • Description

    Species Description - Stem erect; fronds 25-75 cm long, sheath at base open (not fused together), common stalk 15-50 cm long, sparsely hairy to glabrous; sterile blade at maturity 8-21 cm long, 12-24 cm wide, deltate, ternately compound, to tripinnate-pinnatifid, pinnae above the basal pair mostly pin-nate-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; sporophore stalk 5-15 cm long, inserted at base of sterile blade, equaling to exceeding length of sterile blade.

  • Discussion

    Osmunda virginiana Linnaeus, Sp. pl. 2: 1064. 1753. Type. America. Kalm s.n. (LINN 1244.3). Botrychium virginianum (Linnaeus) Swartz var. mexicanum Hooker & Greville, Bot. Misc. 3: 223. 1833 (as B. virginicum ß mexicanum). Syntypes. Mexico. Veracruz: Jalapa, Chamisso s.n., “Rigla,” Capt. Veitch s.n. (K?). Botrychium virginianum (Linnaeus) Swartz var. meridional Butters, Rhodora 19: 213. 1917. Botrychium virginianum ssp. meridionale (Butters) Clausen, Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 19(2): 103. 1938. Type. Mexico. Chiapas, Ghiesbreght 252 (GH!; isotype YU). Osmunda cicutaria Savigny in Lamarck, Encycl. 4: 650. 1797 [1798]. Botrychium cicutarium (Savigny) Swartz, Syn. fil. 171. 1806. Type. Plumier, Traité foug. Amér. 136, t. 159. 1705, based on a plant from Hispaniola collected by Plumier. Botrychium brachystachys Kunze, Linnaea 18: 305. 1844. Type. Mexico. Roemer 35 (LZ, destroyed). Botrychium dichronum Underwood, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 30: 45. 1903. Type. Jamaica. Morce’s Gap, 5000' [1520 m], Clute 96 (NY!). Botrychium cicutarium is reported by Clausen (1938) to have its fertile part equal to or shorter than the sterile and persistent leaves, but these characters appear unreliable. The coarser cutting of the sterile blade and the conspicuously pilose midribs may distinguish some of the Mexican material, but delimitation of the taxa awaits the more detailed study currently underway by W. H. Wagner.

  • Distribution

    Terrestrial in commonly disturbed, moist, shady forests; Ixtlán, Juquila, Sola de Vega, Teotitlán, Tlacolula, Tlaxiaco; 1550-2450 m. Mexico (Mich, Gro, Mor, Mex, DF, Chih, SLP, Hgo, Pue, Ver, Oax, Chis); US & Can; Guat to Pan; Gr Antill; Ven & Col to Bol & Braz; Europe, Asia.

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