Botrychium neolunaria

Common american moonwort

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3

Common american moonwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.3) native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada and Warner Mountains in moist meadows at elevations of 2,300 to 3,400 meters. Its dark green fronds emerge with an ovate blade 6 to 10 centimeters long and 2 to 4 centimeters wide, featuring 4 to 6 pairs of thick, closely touching pinnae. Growing with a trophophore stalk between zero to 8 millimeters long, this delicate fern has pinnae that form broadly fan-shaped segments with side margins converging at 120 to 180 degrees. The leaf structure includes outer margins that are generally entire, with pinnae that are thick and often overlapping. Its fertile sporophore branches spread slightly upward, producing well-spaced sporangia that generate spores approximately 33 to 39 micrometers in diameter.

Habitat: Moist meadows

Elevation: 2300-3400 m

Bioregions: c SNH, Wrn

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