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Rattlesnake Fern

Botrypus

Rattlesnake Fern
Photo: TheAlphaWolf, CC BY-SA 3.0
Family
Ophioglossaceae (Ophiogloss family)
Grows as
Fern, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Shade

About

Botrypus virginianus, synonym Botrychium virginianum, sometimes called rattlesnake fern is a species of perennial fern in the adders-tongue family. It is monotypic within the genus Botrypus, meaning that it is the only species within the genus. It is called the rattlesnake fern in some parts of North America, due to its habit of growing in places where rattlesnakes are also found. Rattlesnake fern prefers to grow in rich, moist woods in dense shade and will not tolerate direct sunlight.

Where it grows

This is a wide-ranging species. It abounds in many parts of the United States, in the mountains of Mexico, in Australia, in some parts of Asia, as the Himalaya Mountains, and is found also in Norway, in the Karelia region of Finland and Russia, and around Gulf of Bothnia, although in no other part of Europe. It is large and succulent and is boiled and eaten in the Himalayas.

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Botrypus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

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