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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. | |||||||||
| LITTLE GRAPEFERN | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Botrychium simplex | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Little grapefern is mostly less than 15 cm tall. The common stalk from which the sterile and fertile blades arise is up to 2 cm long. The sterile blade may be sessile or stalked on the common stalk. This blade is inserted below the middle of plant. The sterile blade is simple or it can be divided up to two times. The sterile blade is dull to bright green or whitish. If it is divided, it may have up to seven pairs of spreading to ascending pinnae. The bottom pair of pinnae is larger than the second pair. The pinnae tend to be asymmetrical with a wavy margin. The fertile blade is only once pinnate and appears linear in outline. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Little grapefern grows in meadows, pastures, and on shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is located in west-central Saskatchewan in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Little grapefern is endangered because of extreme rarity in Saskatchewan. It is restricted to one general region of the province and is almost always locally sparse. No immediate threats are known but are possible in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY LITTLE MOONWORT | |||||||||
| * Is the sterile blade simple or divided up to
two times? * If blade is divided, is the bottom pair of pinnae larger than the second pair? * Is the fertile blade pinnate? * Did you find it in west-central Saskatchewan? |
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| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found little moonwort! | |||||||||
