Botrychium montanum
Western goblin moonwort
Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1
Western goblin moonwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native perennial found in southern Cascade Range of the Hauke Mountains, northern Sierra Nevada, and Warner Mountains in shady conifer woodlands at elevations of 1,500 to 3,200 meters. Its distinctive pale gray-green fronds emerge with a unique growth pattern, featuring 1 to 4 pairs of broadly attached pinnae with parallel to converging side margins. Growing with a delicate structure, the plant has a long-stalked trophophore 2 to 15 millimeters long, with a blade 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters wide and irregularly linear to slightly ovate in shape. The pinnae have dentate outer margins and are strongly decurrent, creating an intricate geometric arrangement of leaf segments. Its sporophore stalk extends 1 to 2.5 times the trophophore length, bearing sporangia broadly attached to the main axis or on short branches.
Habitat: Shady conifer woodlands (especially under
Elevation: 1500-3200 m
Bioregions: s CaRH, n&s SNH, Wrn
California counties: Plumas, Butte
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.