Taxon Details

Botrychium pinnatum

northwestern moonwort

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Taxon Summary:

Botrychium pinnatum, commonly known as northwestern moonwort, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Ophioglossaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1770 to 2040 meters. Botrychium pinnatum is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification

Scientific Name: Botrychium pinnatum St. John
Common Name: northwestern moonwort
Family:	Ophioglossaceae
Element Code:	PPOPH010V0
USDA Plants Symbol:	BOPI
Synonyms/Other Names:
Name Status:	JEF, FNA, POWO, IPNI, Tropicos

Conservation Status

CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Fed List:	None
State List:	None
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S1
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:
Add Date:	1994-01-01
Date Edited:	2025-02-04

Ecology and Life History

Lifeform: perennial rhizomatous herb

Blooming Period: Jul-Oct

Elevation:
1770 - 2040 meters
5805 - 6695 feet

General Habitats:

Lower montane coniferous forest
Meadows and seeps
Upper montane coniferous forest

Microhabitat Details:

Microhabitat:

Mesic

Notes

Notes: Threatened in ID, endangered in OR, and state-listed as Sensitive in WA. See American Fern Journal 19:11 (1929) for original description.
Threats: Threatened by trampling and grazing.
Taxonomy:

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

THREAT LIST:
Threat List Total:	8
	Total EOs	% of EOs
EOs with Threat Listed:	5	63 %
Grazing	3	37%
Logging	2	25%
Other	1	12%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	12%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	12%
Development	1	12%
Erosion/runoff	1	12%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	12%

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB

Element Occurrence Ranks:
Total Occurrences:					8
A	B	C	D	X	U
0	3	1	2	0	2

Occurrence Status:
Historical >20 Years	5
Recent <=20 Years	3

Presence:
Presumed Extant	8
Possibly Extirpated	0
Presumed Extirpated	0

Location

California Endemic:

California Island:

States: Name (Code)
Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Idaho (ID), Montana (MT), Nevada (NV), Oregon (OR), Utah (UT), Washington (WA), Wyoming (WY)

California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Lassen (LAS), Modoc (MOD), Plumas (PLU), Shasta (SHA), Siskiyou (SIS)

Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Ash Creek Butte (4112241), Davis Creek (4112063), Etna (4112248), Grays Peak (4012146), McCloud (4112232), Mt. Harkness (4012143), Swain Mountain (4012141)

Notes:

Definitions of codes following a county and/or quad:
*		Presumed extirpated
(?)		Occurrence confirmed, but possibly extirpated
Quad and county data is imported from the CNDDB. Species may be present in other areas where conditions are favorable. These data should NOT be substituted for pre-project review or for on-site surveys.

Regional Map

Map

Presumed Extant

Click on quad for name. Hold Shift Key to use mouse scroll wheel

CNPS Rare Plant Inventory