Taxon Report
Botrychium crenulatum W. Wagnerscalloped moonwort |
 © 2016 Steve Matson |
Taxon Summary
Botrychium crenulatum, commonly known as scalloped moonwort, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Ophioglossaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, Marshes and swamps (freshwater), Meadows and seeps, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1268 to 3280 meters. Botrychium crenulatum is ranked 2B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened, or Endangered in California, But More Common Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.Classification
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Scientific Name: |
Botrychium crenulatum W. Wagner |
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Common Name: |
scalloped moonwort |
| Family: | Ophioglossaceae |
| Element Code: | PPOPH010L0 |
| USDA Plants Symbol: | BOCR |
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Synonyms/Other Names: |
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Ecology and Life History
| Lifeform: | perennial rhizomatous herb |
| Blooming Period: Jun-Sep | Jun-Sep |
| Elevation: | 1268-3280 (4160-10760) |
| General Habitats: | Bogs and fens, Lower montane coniferous forest, Marshes and swamps, Meadows and seeps, Upper montane coniferous forest |
| Microhabitat: | |
| Microhabitat Details: |
Conservation Status
| CA Rare Plant Rank: | 2B.2 |
| Global Rank: | G4 |
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State Rank: |
S3 |
| State List: | None |
| Fed List: | None |
| Other Status: | |
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CRPR Changes: |
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Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
| Total Occurrences: | 155 |
| Element Occurrence Ranks: | |
| Excellent (A) | 9 |
| Good (B) | 40 |
| Fair (C) | 33 |
| Poor (D) | 8 |
| None (X) | 0 |
| Unknown (U) | 65 |
| California Endemic: False | |
| California Counties and Islands: Name (Code) | |
| Alpine (ALP), Amador (AMA), Butte (BUT), Calaveras (CAL), Colusa (COL), El Dorado (ELD), Fresno (FRE), Inyo (INY), Lassen (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Modoc (MOD), Mono (MNO), Nevada (NEV), Placer (PLA), Plumas (PLU), San Bernardino (SBD), Shasta (SHA), Sierra (SIE), Siskiyou (SIS), Tehama (TEH), Trinity (TRI), Tulare (TUL), Tuolumne (TUO) | |
| Quads: Name (Quad Code) | |
| Ash Creek Butte (4112241), Bear River Reservoir (3812052), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Blairsden (3912075), Blanco Mtn. (3711842), Bloody Mtn. (3711858), Boards Crossing (3812032), Butte Meadows (4012115), Calaveras Dome (3812042), Caldor (3812054), Casa Vieja Meadows (3611823), Cherry Lake North (3811918), Chicken Hawk Hill (4112214), Cisco Grove (3912035), Convict Lake (3711857), Covington Mill (4012287), Coyote Flat (3711824), Crocker Mtn. (3912084), Crooked Creek (3711841), Crystal Lake (3411737), Dardanelles Cone (3811947), Davis Creek (4112063), Dogtooth Peak (3711921), Eagle Peak (4112032), Emerald Bay (3812081), English Mtn. (3912045), Forest Falls (3411618), Fouts Springs (3912236), Gallatin Peak (4012056), Grays Peak (4012146), Hatchet Mtn. Pass (4012177), Hobart Mills (3912042), Homewood (3912012), Hull Creek (3812011), Humboldt Peak (4012124), Humbug Valley (4012123), Independence Lake (3912043), Jacks Backbone (4012166), Jonesville (4012114), Kaiser Peak (3711932), Kimshew Point (3912184), Kyburz (3812073), Lassen Peak (4012145), Leek Spring Hill (3812063), Loon Lake (3812083), Meeks Bay (3912011), Miller Mtn. (4012167), Mineral (4012135), Monache Mountain (3611822), Moonridge (3411627), Mount Dana (3711982), Mount San Antonio (3411736), Mt. Barcroft (3711852), Mt. Bidwell (4112082), Mt. Fillmore (3912067), Mt. Harkness (4012143), Mt. Morgan (3711846), Mt. Patterson (3811943), Mumbo Basin (4112225), Norden (3912033), Onyx Peak (3411626), Peddler Hill (3812053), Pegleg Mtn. (4012048), Red Cinder (4012142), Robbs Peak (3812084), Rockbound Valley (3812082), Roop Mountain (4012047), San Gorgonio Mtn. (3411617), Sattley (3912054), Seven Lakes Basin (4112224), Shields Creek (4112043), Skunk Ridge (4112117), Soapstone Hill (3912173), Soup Creek (4112033), South Lake Tahoe (3811988), Station Peak (3711851), Susanville (4012046), Sweetwater Creek (3811942), Tahoe City (3912022), Telegraph Peak (3411735), Templeton Mtn. (3611832), Tioga Pass (3711983), Tragedy Spring (3812062), Viola (4012156), Warren Peak (4112042), West Haight Mtn. (4112251), Westwood East (4012038), Westwood West (4012131), Willow Ranch (4112083) | |
Threat List Data from the CNDDB
| Threat List Total: | 12 | |
| EOs with Threat Listed: | Total EOs | % of EOs |
| 80 | 52 % | |
| Logging | 32 | 20% |
| Grazing | 28 | 18% |
| Foot traffic/trampling | 18 | 11% |
| Other | 16 | 10% |
| Road/trail construction/maint. | 12 | 7% |
| Recreational use (non-ORV) | 8 | 5% |
| Altered flood/tidal/hydrologic regime | 7 | 4% |
| Erosion/runoff | 6 | 3% |
| ORV activity | 4 | 2% |
| Improper burning regime | 2 | 1% |
| Wood cutting or brush clearing | 2 | 1% |
| Groundwater pumping | 1 | 0% |
Notes
| Scattered but not common anywhere in CA. On watch list in NV, candidate for state listing in OR, and state-listed as Sensitive in WA. See Madroño 36(2):131-136 (1989) for distributional information. |
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Threats: |
| Threatened by foot traffic, grazing, trampling, recreational activities, fuel reduction projects, and road deconstruction. Possibly threatened by logging and hydrological alterations. |
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Taxonomy: |
| See American Fern Journal 71(1):21 (1981) for original description. |
Selected References
| Botrychium crenulatum account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2021) |
Citation
California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2026. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 12 January 2026].