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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE GRAPEFERN FAMILY | |||||||||
| The grapefern family is a unique group of plants. Most of the grapeferns found in Saskatchewan are considered endangered or threatened. These plants have short rootstocks and often have a cluster of fleshy roots. The sterile and fertile blades have a common stalk. The common stalk is enlarged at the base and encloses the bud for the next year’s growth. The sterile blades are sessile or on stalks and can be simple to compound. The fertile blades are generally long stalks and may be branched or unbranched. The spore sacs are arranged in two rows on the fertile leaves. The spores are small and yellowish. | |||||||||
| LANCELEAF GRAPEFERN | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Botrychium lanceolatum | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Lanceleaf grapefern is usually less than 15 cm tall and is stout and fleshy. The sterile and the fertile blades come from a common stalk. The sterile blade is usually sessile or short-stalked to the common stalk and is attached above the middle of the plant. The sterile blade is triangular and once or twice pinnately divided. The sterile blade has up to five pairs of closely spaced pinnae. The distance between the first and second pinnae is equal to or slightly larger than the distance between the second and third pairs. The fertile blade is up to 2.5 times longer than the sterile blade. The fertile blade is divided into several equal branches. The sporangia are crowded and release small yellow spores. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Lanceleaf grapefern grows in open woods and on grassy slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is found in central Saskatchewan in the Mid-Boreal Upland and Mid-Boreal Lowland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Lanceleaf grapefern is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is limited to two general locations of the province. The populations are almost always locally sparse. No immediate threats have been identified for this species. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY LANCELEAF GRAPEFERN | |||||||||
| * Is the sterile blade sessile to the common stalk? * Do the sterile blades have up to five pairs of closely spaced pinnae? * Do the fertile blades have two rows of spore sacs? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found lanceleaf grapefern! | |||||||||
