Ophioglossum pusillum

Northern adder's-tongue

Family: Ophioglossaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Northern adder's-tongue is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) native perennial found in eastern Klamath Ranges (Siskiyou County), northern Coast Ranges (Lake and Mendocino counties), and northern Sierra Nevada (El Dorado County) in marsh edges, low pastures, and grassy roadside ditches at elevations of 1,100 to 2,000 meters. This distinctive fern-like plant has a small pale green leaf blade with a single fertile sporophore emerging from a diminutive caudex less than 10 millimeters wide. Growing with a compact form, it produces a unique reproductive structure featuring 10 to 30 pairs of sporangia arranged in rows along its fertile stalk. Its leaf blade appears flat and pale green, with the fertile portion extending 1.3 to 3 times the length of the sterile section. The plant's most remarkable feature is its unusual chromosome count, with approximately 960 chromosomes in its genetic makeup.

Habitat: Marsh edges, low pastures, grassy roadside ditches, vernal pool margins

Elevation: 1100-2000 m

Bioregions: e KR (Siskiyou Co.), NCoRH (Lake, Mendocino cos.), n SNH (El Dorado Co.)

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