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Botrychium rugulosum — St. Lawrence grapefern

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New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts

St. Lawrence grapefern is mostly distributed in the vicinity of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. In New England it has been found in Connecticut and Vermont, in open fields and second-growth forests, usually on fine sands deposited by former glacial lakes.

Habitat

Forests, meadows and fields

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Vermont
Show all characteristics
  • Leaves

    Features of leaves
    there are no special features on the leaves
  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Vermont
    Specific habitat
    • forests
    • meadows or fields

Wetland status

Not classified

New England distribution and conservation status

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
absent
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
present

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut
unrankable (S-rank: SU)
Vermont
extremely rare (S-rank: S1)

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Botrychium multifidum:
ultimate segments of vegetative portion of leaf rounded to obtusely pointed, entire to weakly creunulate, mostly 4-8 mm wide, plane, coriaceous (vs. B. rugulosum, with ultimate segments of vegetative portion of leaf angular, denticulate, mostly 2-5 mm wide, somewhat channeled and concave abaxially, semiherbaceous).

Synonyms

  • Botrychium multifidum (Gmel.) Rupr. forma dentatum R. Tryon
  • Botrychium ternatum, auct. non (Thunb.) Sw.
  • Sceptridium rugulosum (W.H. Wagner) Skoda & Holub

Genus

Botrychium

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae

11.  Botrychium rugulosum W.H. Wagner NC

St. Lawrence grapefern. Botrychium multifidum (Gmel.) Rupr. forma dentatum R. Tryon; 
B. ternatum, auct. non (Thunb.) Sw.; Sceptridium rugulosum (W.H. Wagner) Skoda & Holub 
• CT, VT. Open fields, second-growth forests, usually in regions of fine sands deposited 
during glacial lake periods. The report from NH by Wagner and Wagner (1993) was based on 
a poorly pressed Botrychium multifidum. Botrychium rugulosum emerges later at a given 
site than does B. multifidum.