Botrychium yaaxudakeit

Giant moonwort

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Giant moonwort is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Highlands, specifically in Virginia Canyon, in wet alpine drainages at elevations of 3,200 meters. This delicate fern produces light to deep green fronds with 4 to 6 pairs of fan-shaped pinnae arranged in an ovate blade approximately 1.5 to 3 centimeters long. Growing with a short common stalk less than one-third the length of its trophophore, the plant has a distinctive fern structure with pinnae featuring finely crenate outer margins and converging side margins. Its trophophore blade displays an intricate geometric arrangement, with pinnae spaced to overlapping and angled between 120 to 180 degrees. The fertile sporophore portion develops with clearly stalked pinnae and crowded sporangia, characteristic of this unique alpine moonwort species.

Habitat: Wet alpine drainages

Elevation: 3200 m

Bioregions: c SNH (Virginia Canyon)

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