Botrychium spp. David Douglas, in his 1823 visit to Goat Island,
recorded two species of this fern at that locality.
Botrychium dissectum
Spreng. var. dissectum DISSECTED GRAPE FERN. "Macoun (as B. ternatum
var. dissectum ... woods near the Whirlpool, Niagara Falls, Ont.
(Macoun), Cat. Can. Pls. V, p. 256, Heimburger (1955).
Botrychium dissectum
Spreng. var. obliquum (Muhl.) Clute.] AUTUMN GRAPE FERN. A specimen at
NFO collected by Cameron is labeled Botrychium ternatum var. obliquum,
Ontario: Queen Victoria Park, Cameron, 1893 (NFO). Ontario: "Macoun (as B.
ternatum var. obliquum) ... 'Sandy woodland, Niagara Falls, Ont.
(Burgess) ... Cat Can Pls. V. p. 256, Heimburger (1955).
The Cameron citations of Botrychium lunaroides
var. obliquum and var. dissectum (1895) are most likely the two
varieties of B. dissectum.
Cameron has a specimen at
(NFO). = Botrychium ternatum var. obliquum, Ontario: Queen Victoria Park,
Cameron, 1893 (NFO).
Botrychium lanceolatum (Gmel.) Rupr. LANCE-LEAVED GRAPE
FERN. Ontario, Niagara Parks System, Cameron (1895).
Ontario: Queen Victoria
Park, Cameron, 1893 (NFO).
The variety angustisegmentum
Pease & Moore is the only variety listed for the Niagara Frontier Region by
Zander and Pierce (1979). It is rare there and protected by New York State law.
It is rare in Ontario: Range: Ont-Nfld. Status: Threatened in Wisconsin.
Extremely rare in western New York. Rare in Minnesota, Argus & White
(1977). ). Argus and White (1983) indicate a station in the Niagara River area,
pre 1925, for this plant which grows in "Dry to moist, open woods and rich
mature deciduous forest." It is "Widespread in Ontario, but it seems
to be rare at most known localities. Due to its small size, however, it may be
more overlooked than rare."
"Typical B. lanceolatum is
now regarded as more boreal in distribution and as not occurring in the eastern
United States," House (1924).
Botrychium
lunaria (L.) Sw. MOONWORT. Ontario, Niagara Parks System, Cameron
(1895). "... is found growing in open spaces in the woods near the School
for Apprentice Gardeners," Hamilton (1943).
Ontario: whirlpool,
Cameron, 1893 (NFO).
Listed as in danger
of extirpation by overpicking by Zander & Pierce (1979). This species is on
the Rare Plant Status List of the New York Natural Heritage Program (Clemants,
1989). Protected, as a plant endangered in the New York flora by New York State
law.
Botrychium matricariaefolium
A. Br. MATRICARY GRAPE FERN. Ontario: Queen Victoria Park, Cameron, [ca. 1891]
(NFO).
Botrychium
matricarioides Cameron (1895) is probably Botrychium matricariaefolium
A. Br. Beck (1833) and the 6th edition of Gray's Manual (1889) were consulted
for the former name, which was not found.
Botrychium multifidum (Gmelin) Rupr. var. intermedium
(D.C.Eaton) Farw. MOONWORT. (As B. ternatum Swartz var. intermedium
D.C. Eaton) "near Clifton, Ontario," Day (1888). (As Botrychium lunaroides
(Michx.) Sw.) Ontario, Niagara Parks
System, Cameron (1895).
Ontario: Queen Victoria
Park, Cameron, [ca. 1891] (NFO).
Botrychium virginianum
(L.) Sw. RATTLESNAKE FERN. "Goat Island and elsewhere," Day (1888).
Ontario, Niagara Parks System, Cameron (1895). "Niagara Glen, T. J. Ivey,
8/8 '08 (TRT 23.081); C. H. Armstrong, July 2, 1898 (TRT 23078); Whirlpool,
Niagara Falls, Wm. Scott, June 21, 1898 (TRT 23087), Heimburger (1955).
"... Parks, Ontario," Hamilton (1943).
New York: Niagara Falls, Amiel
Chamot, June 23, 1888 (BUF). Ontario: Niagara Glen, Hamilton, June 10, 1941
(NFO); Niagara Glen, O'Riley, Aug. 20, 1964 (NFO).
Listed as protected by New York State law by
Zander & Pierce (1979).