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Botrychium virginianum
Rattlesnake Fern
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Photographer: Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
ID: 0000 0000 0617 0911 (2017-06-13)Copyright © 2017 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy
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INFORMATION PROVIDED WITH THE PHOTO
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date of photo Jun 11, 2017
latitude 46.37897 longitude 13.58397
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location
Koritnica valley, between fortress Kluže and Log pod Mangartom village, East Julian Alps (Posočje, Slovenia)notes Habitat: Riparian forest; Salix eleagnos, Picea abies, a few Pinus sp. dominant trees; on ground level Mercurialis perennis, Rubus saxatilis, Urtica dioica, Hepatica nobilis, Galeobdolon flavidum, Plantanthera bifolia, Cephalanthera rubra, Listera ovata; young alluvial, flat terrain; in shade, moist place, high air humidity; elevation 525 m (1.700 feet); average precipitations ~3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil. Comment: Botrychium virginianum is a widely distributed fern. It is most common in North America and much rarer in Europe and Asia, where it appears only in scattered, small disjunct regions. In the Alps it is present only in their eastern part. In Slovenia it is a rare plant. Its taxonomy is still 'under construction'. Some experts distinguish two taxa: Botrychium virginianum var. virginianum growing in America and Botrychium virginianum var. (or ssp.) europaeum growing in Europe. Based on DNA research some claim it is a monophyletic species belonging to separate genus Botrypus. Actually it differs from other members of the genus Botrychium in several traits including number of chromosomes. Be it as it may, the plant is very old (more than 100 million years), existing even before other ferns had develop their spore producing organs (sporangia that are usually clustered to form sori) on the underside of their leaves (sporophyll fronds). Botrychium virginianum has its sporangia on separate vertical 'leaf', which is much different than its sterile leaf. Spores are distributed by the wind, so no insects are needed for proliferation. Hence the plant is green, displaying no vivid colors to attract them and us. Hence it is hard to find. Nevertheless, it is always a happy experience to come across this plant, partly because it is rare and partly because it usually grows in dark, secluded, mysterious thickets on rarely accessed places. Eight plants have been found this time, two of them were sterile. Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoživečih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, št. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004).Enlisted in the Slovene Red List of rare and endangered species, marked by 'R' representing a rare species. Ref.: (1) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 233. (2) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 88. (3) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 64. (4) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 48. (5)https://www.infoflora.ch/assets/content/documents/merkblaetter_artenschutz_de/botr_virg_d.pdfcamera Nikon D700 / Nikkor Micro 105mm/f2.8 and Sony ILCE6000 / Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar E 16-70mm/f4
contributor's ID # Bot_1064/2017_DSC7951 photo category: Plant - fern
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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PLANT
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| common names
Rattlesnake Fern (photographer)
View all photos in CalPhotos of Botrychium virginianum Check Google Images for Botrychium virginianum |
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The photographer's identification Botrychium virginianum has not been reviewed. Click here to review or comment on the identification. |
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Using this photo The thumbnail photo (128x192 pixels) on this page may be freely used for personal or academic purposes without prior permission under the Fair Use provisions of US copyright law as long as the photo is clearly credited with © 2017 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy.
For other uses, or if you have questions, contact Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy amadej.trnkoczy[AT]siol.net. (Replace the [AT] with the @ symbol before sending an email.) |
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