Taxon Report

Botrychium pinnatum St. John

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:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Jul-Oct	Jul-Oct
Elevation:	1770-2040 (5805-6695)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Mesic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.2
Global Rank:	G5
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2B.3 to 2B.2 on 2025-02-03 changed from 2.3 to 2B.3 on 2013-06-12

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	1
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	2

Location


California Endemic: False
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)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	8
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	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%

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:

Selected References

Botrychium pinnatum account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2022)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 2 November 2025].