Home/Species/ Northern Adder's-tongue

Ophioglossum pusillum

Raf.

Northern Adder's-tongue

G4Apparently Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.129327

Element CodePPOPH020F0

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVascular Plant

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomPlantae

PhylumFilicinophyta

ClassOphioglossopsida

OrderOphioglossales

FamilyOphioglossaceae

GenusOphioglossum

Synonyms

Ophioglossum vulgatum var. alaskanum(E.G. Britt.) Christens.Ophioglossum vulgatum var. pseudopodum(Blake) Farw.

Other Common Names

northern adderstongue (EN) Ophioglosse nain (FR)

Concept Reference

Kartesz, 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.

Conservation Status

Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2

Review Date2024-03-11

Change Date2024-03-11

Edition Date2024-03-11

Edition AuthorsGRIES, D (1998), rev. Eberly (2024)

Threat ImpactUnknown

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

Ophioglossum pusillum is a perennial fern known from the northern tier of the United States and Southern tier Canada and in western North America from Alaska, British Columbia, Montana, Washington, Oregon, and California. This species uncommon across a large range. It may be threatened by alterations to hydrology.

Range Extent Comments

Ophioglossum pusillum occurs is found in the northern tier of the United States, largely north of the Wisconsin Glaciation region, and the southern tier of Canada from Nova Scotia west to Alaska and British Columbia, south to Virginia, Indiana, Nebraska, Wyoming, and California.

Occurrences Comments

The Flora of North America (1993) describes this species as "frequent and widespread" but it is considered rare rangewide, aside from Ontario. It may be overlooked as a small inconspicuous fern but based on available data, this species appears less than frequent.

Threat Impact Comments

This species is sensitive to changes in site hydrology which could be impacted by numerous types of activities.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Adder's Tongue is an herbaceous perennial that is up to 20 cm high. Each plant has an erect, leafless stem that is 2-15 cm high and which branches into a single leaf-like, ascending, sterile blade and into an erect, spike-like fertile stalk. The sterile blade is elliptic to broadly lance-shaped and 2-8 cm long with entire margins and a rounded to pointed tip. The upper portion of the fertile stalk has 2 rows of contiguous spore-bearing sacs on one side.

Diagnostic Characteristics

There is no other fern with a single entire-margined blade.

Habitat

This species grows in moist streamside meadows, wet or periodically flooded meadows, swamp edges, open fens, lake margins, grassy shores, and roadside ditches in lowland and montane zones (Douglas 1989, FNA 1993a, Weakley and Southeastern Flora Team 2023).

Terrestrial Habitats

Grassland/herbaceous

Palustrine Habitats

HERBACEOUS WETLANDBog/fenRiparian

Other Nations (2)

CanadaN4

Province	Rank	Native
Manitoba	S1	Yes
Nova Scotia	S2	Yes
New Brunswick	S3	Yes
Ontario	S4	Yes
Prince Edward Island	S1	Yes
Quebec	S1	Yes
British Columbia	S3	Yes

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Illinois	S3	Yes
Rhode Island	S1	Yes
New Hampshire	S1	Yes
Pennsylvania	S1	Yes
Nebraska	S2	Yes
California	S1	Yes
Iowa	S3	Yes
Wisconsin	S3	Yes
Kentucky	S1	Yes
Missouri	SNR	Yes
Delaware	SH	Yes
Oregon	S1	Yes
Wyoming	S1	Yes
New York	S1	Yes
Virginia	SH	Yes
Minnesota	S3	Yes
Washington	S2	Yes
Vermont	S1	Yes
North Dakota	S2	Yes
West Virginia	S1	Yes
New Jersey	S3	Yes
Connecticut	S1	Yes
Maryland	SNR	Yes
Massachusetts	S2	Yes
Alaska	S1	Yes
Michigan	SNR	Yes
Indiana	S2	Yes
South Dakota	SNR	Yes
District of Columbia	SNR	Yes
Maine	S1	Yes
Ohio	S1	Yes
Montana	S3	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
7 - Natural system modifications	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
7.2 - Dams & water management/use	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown

Plant Characteristics

DurationPERENNIAL

Economic Value (Genus)No

Roadless Areas (2)

California (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Big Butte Shinbone	Mendocino National Forest	4,265
Poison Hole	Eldorado National Forest	2,627

References (6)

Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley, and D. Meidinger. 1989. The vascular plants of British Columbia. Part 1. Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons (Asteraceae through Cucurbitaceae). Crown Publications Incorporated. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 208 pp.
Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp.
Kartesz, 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.
Skinner, M.W., and B.M. Pavlik, eds. 1997 (1994). Inventory of rare and endangered vascular plants of California. 1997 Electronic Inventory Update of 1994 5th edition, California Native Plant Society, Special Publication No. 1, Sacramento.
Weakley, A.S. 1997. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia: working draft of 21 July 1997. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Southern Conservation Science Dept., Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2023. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of April 14, 2023. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2105 pp.

Ophioglossum pusillum

Description

Diagnostic Characteristics

Habitat

—