Botrychium simplex

Botrychium simplex, the little grapefern, is a species of fern in the family Ophioglossaceae that is native to North America and Greenland.^[1] It is a perennial.^[2]

Botrychium simplex
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Ophioglossales
Family:	Ophioglossaceae
Genus:	Botrychium
Species:	B. simplex
Binomial name
Botrychium simplex E.Hitchc.
Synonyms
Botrychium tenebrosum

Taxonomy

Botrychium simplex was first described by Edward Hitchcock in 1823, based on material from Conway, Massachusetts.^[3]

Conservation

It is listed as a special concern species in Connecticut and is believed extirpated.^[4] It is endangered in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. It is listed as endangered and extirpated in Maryland, threatened in Iowa, exploitably vulnerable in New York, special concern in Rhode Island, and sensitive in Washington (state).^[5]

This species is extremely rare in most European countries. In Ukraine only one place is known.^[6]