BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Botrychium paradoxum | Peculiar Moonwort 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Peculiar moonwort grows 1 to 6 inches (3-15 cm) tall.  The leafless stem
bears spore sacs that are 1 mm in diameter.  The leaf in this species is
unique in that the sterile segment is replaced by a second fertile
segment [8,10].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Undisturbed State:  Hemicryptophyte
   Burned or Clipped State:  Hemicryptophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
NO-ENTRY


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Peculiar moonwort grows in open meadows to dense stands of tall herbs in
foothill and subalpine zones.  It is often on disturbed sites from 4,000
to 8,000 feet (1,200-2,450 m).  It is difficult to distinguish from
similar species with which it occurs.  It grows larger in open than in
shaded stands.  It has been found on moist drainages, grassy slopes,
near lake shores, and on rotting plant material under dense cover.  It
is associated with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Engelmann spruce
(Picea engelmannii), Abies lyallii, shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla
fruticosa), and willows (Salix spp.). Associated herbaceous vegetation
varies by site [7,9].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Peculiar moonwort is distinguishable from other moonworts in July and
August [10].

Related categories for Species: Botrychium paradoxum | Peculiar Moonwort