Botrychium campestre var. lineare

Name: Botrychium campestre var. lineare
Creator: The California Species Project

Slender moonwort

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.1

Slender moonwort is a rare (CNPS 1B.1) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist meadows at elevations of 2,500 to 4,000 meters. While flowering time is not specified, this delicate fern produces green to pale-green fronds with 1 to 4 centimeters of blade length. Growing with a distinctive structure, its common stalk is approximately equal in length to its trophophore, featuring 3 to 6 pairs of narrow, well-separated pinnae. Its leaves are narrowly ovate to lanceolate, with linear pinnae ascending at shallow angles and occasionally bearing scattered sporangia. The plant's fertile portion develops stiffly ascending and overlapping branches with crowded sporangia, creating a unique botanical profile.

Habitat: Moist meadows

Elevation: 2500-4000 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.