Taxon Report

Botrychium tunux Stensvold & Farrar

moosewort

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Botrychium tunux, commonly known as moosewort, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Ophioglossaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field, growing at elevations from 3050 to 3050 meters. Botrychium tunux is ranked 2B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Botrychium tunux Stensvold & Farrar
Common Name:	moosewort
Family:	Ophioglossaceae
Element Code:	PPOPH01240
USDA Plants Symbol:	BOTU3
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Aug-Sep	Aug-Sep
Elevation:	3050-3050 (10005-10005)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:	calcareous

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	2B.1
Global Rank:	G3G4
State Rank:	S1
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	USFS_S
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.1 to 2B.1 on 2013-06-12 added to 2.1 on 2012-03-05

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Mariposa (MPA)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Tenaya Lake (3711974), Yosemite Falls (3711975)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	%

Notes



Discovered in CA in 2008 by Alison Colwell; known only from Mt. Hoffman in Yosemite NP. Similar to B. lunaria. Not in The Jepson Manual (1993). See American Fern Journal 92(2):150-160 (2002) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to CRPR 2.1, G3? / S1 (2012)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 31 October 2025].