Taxon Report

Botrychium paradoxum W.H. Wagner

paradox moonwort

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Botrychium paradoxum, commonly known as paradox moonwort, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Ophioglossaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Alpine boulder and rock field (limestone, marble), and Upper montane coniferous forest (moist), growing at elevations from 1740 to 4200 meters. Botrychium paradoxum is ranked 2B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Botrychium paradoxum W.H. Wagner
Common Name:	paradox moonwort
Family:	Ophioglossaceae
Element Code:	PPOPH010J0
USDA Plants Symbol:	BOPA9
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Aug	Aug
Elevation:	1740-4200 (5710-13780)
General Habitats:	Alpine boulder and rock field, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

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

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Madera (MAD), Mariposa (MPA), Tuolumne (TUO)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Dunderberg Peak (3811913), Vogelsang Peak (3711973)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Discovered in CA by Alison Colwell in the vicinity of Yosemite NP. Potentially threatened by hydrological alterations caused by logging activities. Easy to identify due to two nearly identical sporophores and no trophophore; other Botrychium spp. will occasionally produce a spore-bearing trophophore, but the two leaf segments are generally not identical. Not in The Jepson Manual (1993). See American Fern Journal 71(1):20-30 (1981) for original description, and 85(4):375-394 (1995) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Addition to Rank 2.1, G3G4 / 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 27 January 2025].