W.H. Wagner
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.133668
Element CodePPOPH010S0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassOphioglossopsida
OrderOphioglossales
FamilyOphioglossaceae
GenusBotrychium
Other Common NamesBotryche ascendant (FR) Triangle-lobe Moonwort (EN) trianglelobe moonwort (EN) Upswept Moonwort (EN)
Concept ReferenceKartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic CommentsWagner (in FNA Vol.2) notes that B. ascendens is a distinctive species "that grows with B. crenulatum, B. lunaria, and B. minganense. This species and B. pedunculosum [which has a similar range, but is not known from Alaska] are the only grapeferns that often have extra sporangia on the proximal pinnae."
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2022-12-16
Change Date2022-12-16
Edition Date2022-12-16
Edition AuthorsD. Gries (1997), rev. L. Morse (1998, 1999), rev. A. Olivero (2003), rev. C. Nordman (2022).
Threat ImpactMedium
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Rank ReasonsBotrychium ascendens is widely scattered and mostly occurs in very small populations, however is found across North America, perhaps at about 200 locations in the United States and Canada. Threat impacts are considered medium, and it occurs on various protected conservation lands across its range. Due to the small size of the plants and the scattered habitat, this species may be more abundant than presently known (Fertig 2000).
Range Extent CommentsBotrychium ascendens occurs in western, northern and northeastern North America, in the United States and Canada. It occurs from southern Alaska and southwestern Yukon Territory, south at higher elevations in the mountains of California, southern Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, across Canada to Newfoundland, and in northern Minnesota, and New England in the United States. The range extent is estimated to be 12.5 million square kilometers (CNDDB 2022, GBIF 2022, iNaturalist 2022, NatureServe 2022, SEINet 2022).
Occurrences CommentsThere may be 200 occurrences of Botrychium ascendens, throughout its range in North America (CNDDB 2022, GBIF 2022, iNaturalist 2022, NatureServe 2022, SEINet 2022).
Threat Impact CommentsBotrychium ascendens may be threatened by long-term lack of fire and/or high intensity wildland fire in woodlands naturally prone to more frequent, low intensity fire, and by changes in the hydrology of its riparian, or wet meadow habitat, such as from dams or water diversion or use (Fertig 2000, Vanderhorst 1997). Botrychium species depend on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM), and while the species of fungal symbiont may not be known for B. ascendens, landuse change, development and other severe disturbances to its habitat, which disrupt the soil mycorrhizae are likely a threat, and undermine the recruitment of new Botrychium plants (Beatty et al. 2003).