Botrychium lunaria
Common name
Moonwort
Synonyms
Osmunda lunaria L.
Family
Ophioglossaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Indeterminate
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Ferns
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
BOTLUN
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: By Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley.
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, RR, TO
Previous conservation statuses
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: RR
2004 | Threatened – Nationally Critical
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand, South Island, where it is known from Hoary Head and Billies Knob, Kahurangi National Park, North West Nelson. There is also an old gathering made from somewhere on Mt Torlesse, Canterbury. New Zealand plants appear to be the same as the form known from Australia
Habitat
Alpine. Growing in short turf within limestone and marble karst systems
Features
Diminutive fern. Sterile laminae fleshy, pinnate, 10-50 x 5-20 mm, bearing 4-5 pairs of dark green, fan-shaped pinnae. Fertile laminae overtopping sterile. 1-3 times branched, bearing numerous yellow-brown sporangia c.10 mm diam.
Similar taxa
None.
Flowering
Not applicable - spore producing
Flower colours
No flowers
Fruiting
Not applicable - spore producing
Propagation technique
Difficult. Should not be removed from the wild
Threats
First recorded in New Zealand from Mt Torlesse, Canterbury in 1882 it was not seen again until 1980 and 1983 when it was discovered on Hoary Head and Billies Knob on the Mt Arthur and Mt Owen Ranges of Kahurangi National Park. At neither location is it common, and it remains vulnerable to browsing animals, weeds and from human recreational activities such as caving and tramping. It is very vulnerable to plant collectors.
Etymology
botrychium: Bunch of grapes; from the Greek botrus; grape like spore clusters
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available.
Taxonomic Notes
de Lange et al. (2009) treat this fern as Botrychium aff. lunaria. This is because New Zealand and Australian plants (which seem to be the conspecific) appear to be distinct from the northern hemisphere form of B. lunaria (which is where the type specimen comes from). Urgent research is needed to determine the exact relationship of this highly threatened fern to B. lunaria sens. strict.
Attribution
Fact Sheet by P.J. de Lange 6 June 2005. Description from Brownsey & Smith-Dodsworth (2000).
References and further reading
Brownsey, P.J.; Smith-Dodsworth, J.C. 2000: New Zealand ferns and allied plants. David Bateman Ltd, Auckland
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61–96.
Citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Botrychium lunaria Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/botrychium-lunaria/ (Date website was queried)