Botrychium paradoxum

Paradox moonwort

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Paradox moonwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist meadows and shrubby slopes at elevations of 4,000 to 4,200 meters. This distinctive moonwort lacks a trophophore and instead produces two nearly identical fertile sporophores with stalks 2 to 10 millimeters long, bearing sporangial branches. Growing as a delicate alpine species, it develops sporophores with fertile portions 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, with sporangia that are either spaced or crowded. Its unique botanical structure features sporophores with short, somewhat ascending sporangial branches that are often more widely spaced on one of the two reproductive structures. With a complex chromosomal composition of 2n=180, this rare moonwort represents a fascinating example of alpine botanical adaptation.

Habitat: Moist meadows and shrubby slopes

Elevation: 4000-4200 m

Bioregions: c SNH

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