Description: Small perennial fern to 10 cm (4 in.) tall. Stem divided into two segments, a single sterile frond (fern leaf), and a fertile sporophore (grape cluster). Frond bright yellow-green, once pinnatified, up to six pairs of strongly ascending, narrowly triangular pinnae (leaflets) with deeply lacerated margins. Sporophore (sterile segment) longer than frond, branched, bears grape-like sporangia. Fertile late spring to summer.
Habitat: In Nevada this species is most commonly found in moist
ground in deep shaded spring areas. Elevations: 2,710-3,400 m
(8,890 - 11,155 ft).
Range: Clark County, Nevada. Known so far only from the Spring Mountains. Also known from British Columbia, Ontario, Yukon, Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming.
Comments: Commonly referred to as upswept moonwort. Distinguished from other Botrychium species by its strongly ascending pinnae (45-90o) with lacerated margins and yellow-green color.
Special Remarks: Recent collections from the Spring Mountains reveal that there are at least six species of moonworts in the area, including
B. lineare, a candidate species for federal listing.