Botrychium simplex

Least moonwort, yosemite moonwort

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Least moonwort is a California native perennial found in alpine and subalpine regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in moist to saturated meadows, seeps, and streamside environments at elevations of 1,500 to 3,800 meters. Its leaf structure is distinctive, with a sporophore and trophophore joined near ground level, producing a delicate fern-like blade less than 12 centimeters long that can range from simple to deeply lobed. Growing with a slender, compact form, this small moonwort has 4 to 6 pairs of fan- to wedge-shaped pinnae that touch or spread apart with entire to slightly crenate outer margins. Its leaf blade is typically ovate, becoming more complex in larger plants with expanded basal pinnae that converge at angles between 45 and 150 degrees. The fertile sporophore portion emerges with linear branches bearing closely spaced sporangia, making it a subtle but intricate alpine botanical gem.

Habitat: In moist to saturated moss or sedge meadows, seeps, marshes, along streamsides

Elevation: 1500-3800 m

California counties: San Bernardino, Tulare, Inyo, Mono, Modoc, Tehama, Plumas, Mendocino, Butte, Fresno, Tuolumne, Mariposa, El Dorado, Siskiyou, Alpine, Calaveras, Kern, Placer

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