Key to Botrychium

View taxon page for Botrychium

(For a list of species in Botrychium, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Leaf divided into 2 nearly identical sporophores and no trophophore ..... B. paradoxum

1' Leaf divided into trophophore and sporophore (latter occasionally aborted)

2. Trophophore ternate, appearing to be divided into 3 ± equal segments due to great enlargement and dissection of 

basal 

At or near the base of a plant or plant part. Especially said of leaves clustered near the ground or of a placenta confined to the base of an ovary.

 

pinna 

In ferns, primary division of a compound or dissected frond blade.

pair

3. Trophophore 

sessile 

Without a petiole, peduncle, pedicel, or other kind of stalk.

or nearly so, stalk of sporophore 0.3–0.7 × trophophore ..... B. pumicola (2)

3' Trophophore clearly stalked, sporophore stalk generally >= trophophore ..... B. simplex

4. Middle pinnae narrowly attached to 

rachis 

In ferns, primary axis of a compound or dissected frond blade.

, slightly or not 

decurrent 

Pertaining to a wing-like or ridge-like extension basal to the apparent or actual point of attachment, particularly a leaf base that appears to continue onto the stem.

; plants yellow-green; generally in seasonally moist meadows ..... var. compositum

4' Middle pinnae broadly attached to rachis, strongly decurrent; plants blue-green; generally in hard-water-saturated substrate ..... var. simplex (2)

2' Trophophore 

pinnate 

Feather-like; pertaining to veins, lobes, leaflets, or other structures arranged in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane) along either side of an axis; a leaf is odd-pinnate if there is a terminal leaflet, even-pinnate if there is not, and either odd- or even-pinnate may be 1-pinnate (blade divided into primary leaflets), 2-pinnate (primary leaflets divided into secondary leaflets), 3-pinnate (secondary leaflets divided into tertiary leaflets), etc.

; basal pinnae not disproportionately enlarged

5. Basal pinna pair pinnately dissected, midribbed; pinnae 

ovate 

Egg-shaped (i.e., widest below the middle) in two dimensions (i.e., in one plane), as a leaf.

to 

elliptic 

In the shape of a flattened circle or ellipse; wider than linear

, broadest near base or middle ..... B. pinnatum

5' Basal pinna pair 

entire 

Having margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).

or palmately dissected, fan-shaped, broadest at outer margin

6. Trophophore and sporophore joined well below mid-leaf, generally at ground level ..... B. simplex or B. pumicola (small or shade pls, see couplet 3 to separate the species)

6' Trophophore and sporophore joined generally near or distal to mid-leaf

7. Side margins of 

simple 

Composed of a single part; undivided; unbranched.

pinnae ± parallel or, if cleft into segments, side margins of segments ± parallel

8. Trophophore ± sessile; sporophore stalk very short, pinnae elongate, longer than wide, not decurrent to rachis ..... B. lineare

8' Trophophore and sporophore stalk long, pinnae rhomboid, as long as wide, strongly decurrent ..... B. montanum

7' Side margins of simple pinnae converging at > 30°, or, if cleft into segments, segments wedge-shaped

9. Side margins of basal pinnae converging at (90)150–180°; pinnae touching to overlapping, especially toward tip

10. Middle pinnae 

spreading 

Oriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.

, ± perpendicular to rachis; pinna texture delicate, outer margins generally finely 

crenate 

Pertaining to margins with shallow, rounded teeth, between which are usually acute sinuses (i.e., scalloped)

to 

dentate 

Having margins with sharp, relatively coarse teeth pointing outward, not tipward.

; basal sporophore branches often downturned, occurring in or near saturated substrate ..... B. crenulatum (2)

10' Middle pinnae 

ascending 

Curving or angling upward from base, or about 30-60 degrees less than vertical or away from axis of attachment.

; pinna texture firm, outer margins entire to wavy to coarsely toothed; basal sporophore branches generally not downturned

11. Spores 33–39 µm in longest diam ..... B. lunaria

11' Spores 46–57 µm in longest diam ..... B. yaaxudakeit

9' Side margins of basal pinnae converging at 30–120(160)°; pinnae generally well-spaced to touching

12. Pinnae spreading, ± perpendicular to rachis; fertile portion of sporophore triangular to 

deltate 

More or less equilaterally triangular, with the corners rounded or not.

; basal sporophore branches often downturned

13. Pinnae fan-shaped, texture delicate, deep green, outer margins generally finely crenate to dentate; occurring in or near saturated substrate ..... B. crenulatum (2) (sun plants)

13' Pinnae 

oblong 

Longer than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.

or rounded without a sharp angle between side and outer margin, texture thick, yellow-green, outer margins entire or shallowly cleft; occurring in well-drained sites ..... B. tunux

12' Pinnae ascending; fertile portion of sporophore oblong to deltate; basal sporophore branches not downturned

14. Pinnae entire to symmetrically cleft into 2–4 segments, outer margins dentate; sporophore branches short, stiffly 

erect 

Upright; vertically oriented.

..... B. ascendens

14' Pinnae entire to irregularly cleft or shallowly lobed, outer margins entire to coarsely toothed or lobed; sporophore branches long, spreading ..... B. minganense

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