ELEMENT STEWARDSHIP ABSTRACT FOR BOTRYCHIUM ONEIDENSE November 29, 1990 Stewardship Abstract No.: 002 By Alfred E. Schuyler For: State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy Division of Parks and Forestry Office of Natural Lands Management CN 404 Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Element Stewardship Abstract Element Stewardship Abstracts (ESA's) are prepared to provide land managers and other conservation workers with current biological and management related information on those species and natural ecosystems that are most important to protect or for which control is most needed. The abstracts organize and summarize data from numerous sources, including the literature and from researchers and managers actively working with the species or ecosystem. The ESA format was originally developed by The Nature Conservancy as a starting point for the stewardship of the many species and ecosystems, or elements, protected by the Conservancy. The New Jersey Office of Natural Lands Management is developing ESA's for those elements that are of particular importance as components of the biota of the state. This includes globally rare plant species that are also listed on New Jersey's official Endangered Plant Species List. The ESA serves several important functions. It helps to identify information gaps and target future research efforts. It provides a standard format for highlighting specific information about a species or community including its management needs. It also allows information to be readily communicated among various preserves, state offices, regional centers, natural heritage programs and private organizations. The ESA is a dynamic document that is continuously updated as new information becomes available. Users are encouraged to contribute their information to the abstract. This sharing of information will benefit all land managers by ensuring the availability of up-to-date information on management techniques and knowledgeable contacts. Please contact the Office of Natural Lands Management for an ESA publication list. It will contain the date of the latest revision to each ESA. Please refer to the abstract number when ordering ESA's. The abstract is a compilation of available information and is not an endorsement of particular practices or products. Element Name: BOTRYCHIUM ONEIDENSE (Gilb.) House (Ophioglossaceae) Element Code: PPOPHO10CO Preparer: Alfred E. Schuyler Common Name: Blunt-lobe Grape-fern Description: Habit: perennial evergreen herb with an underground stem and above-ground leaf consisting of fertile and sterile segments or sterile segment only. Roots: root diameter 1 cm from stem averaging 2.5 mm when alive and 2.0 mm when dried. Circular ridges sparse in proximal 1-5 cm. Color predominantly ivory-gray to tan, only occasional large roots completely dark in basal 1-5 cm. Stem: short erect rhizome with clustered fleshy roots. Leaves: common petiole of fertile and sterile segments up to 6 cm long. Petiole of more erect fertile segment up to 22 cm long and paniculate sporangia-bearing portion up to 14 cm long. Petiole of sterile segment up to 10 cm long, blade up to 14 cm long and 23 cm wide, bipinnate or tripinnate, broadly triangular in outline. Ultimate segments of blade usually few, comparatively large and rounded, nearly entire or with finely toothed margins, surface somewhat dull, comparatively smooth. Unfolding leaves in spring, lime green, mature blades with reddish pigment extending up to 3-15% of the midrib on the average, midwinter blades mostly green where well exposed. Sporangia: globular, 0.6-1.0 mm in diameter, in two rows along divisions of fertile segment, opening transversely and producing copious sulphur-colored spores. Overwintering Characteristics: leaves persist through winter and are mostly green where well-exposed (Wagner, 1961). Chromosomes: Wagner (1955) reported n=45 in plants from three counties in Michigan. No meiotic irregularities were observed. He reported the same number for B. multifidum (Gmel.) Rupr. and B. dissectum Spreng. Distinctions from Related Species: Botrychium oneidense is most often confused with B. multifidum and B. dissectum. It differs from B. multifidum by having unequally divided leaf segments: the terminal segments are more elongate and less divided than the lower. In B. multifidum the leaf segments are about the same size and shape. The distinctions between B. oneidense and B. dissectum are more subtle: 1) roots of B. oneidense are pale gray to tan with diameters 1 cm from stem averaging 2.5 mm in living plants while B. dissectum usually has dark gray-brown roots with diameters 1 cm from stem averaging 3 mm in living plants; 2) leaf segments of B. oneidense are more or less rounded at the tips while those of B. dissectum are somewhat pointed; 3) young and well exposed overwintering leaves of B. oneidense are mostly green while leaves of B. dissectum are reddish when young and often bronze-colored in winter. Habitat: Botrychium oneidense mostly occurs in low woods and swamps from New Brunswick to Wisconsin, south to Maryland and Indiana, and to North Carolina and Tennessee in the mountains (Wagner, 1961). It often occurs with B. dissectum which is more common and occurs in more diverse habitats. Cusick (1970) described the habitat at a West Virginia site as "a familiar one to collectors of the evergreen grapeferns, acid soil under crab-apples at the edge of a much-used trail. Pteridophyte associates included Asplenium platyneuron (L.) Oakes, Lycopodium flabelliforme (Fern.) Blanch., and B. dissectum Spreng." Wagner (1961) gives the general habitat as "low, wet, acid secondary woods and swamps." He (pers. comm., 1990) reports finding it associated with wetland trees such as Quercus palustris. In New Jersey, B. oneidense is known from widely scattered localities in seven counties (Montgomery and Fairbrothers, 1985) outside of the Pine Barrens. Biology/ecology: Leaves of B. oneidense begin to develop in May and sporangia mature in late September. This is earlier than B. dissectum where leaves develop in early June and sporangia mature in October (Wagner, 1961). Leaves persist through the winter and usually remain green. Wagner (1961) reports that B. oneidense is "local and rare in most of its area." It becomes more rare in Atlantic coastal states as it approaches the eastern limit of its range (Montgomery, pers. comm., 1990). Most of the time it grows in a comparatively uniform late-successional habitat where there is intermittent wetness (Wagner, pers. comm., 1990). The plants are tolerant of human disturbances such as lumbering as long as some trees are left to provide shade. In dry years, leaves may not develop, but the underground stems may persist and produce leaves in subsequent years (Wagner, pers. comm., 1990). In New Jersey, B. oneidense is known from a single extant occurrence consisting of less than 50 plants (NJNHP, 1989b). There are over 12 additional historic sites, many of which are based on pre-1900 collections (NJNHP, 1989a; ANSP, 1990). It is highly probable that B. oneidense no longer occurs at many of these historic sites that are in areas where suburban development has occurred. Determination of Element Occurrence (EO) Quality: At the one known extant site, the EO quality presumably is high, judging from the description of the habitat and its location on property owned by Montclair State College (NJNHP, 1989a). Many other sites, however, are in areas where suburban development may have destroyed the habitat. Threats: Impacts from suburban development are serious threats to B. oneidense in New Jersey. Many historic localities are in or near fast-growing suburban communities. Alteration of the water regime also is a threat. The intermittent wetness, characteristic of its habitats, presumably prevents competition from species better adapted to perennially dryer or wetter conditions. Land Protection Specifications: Properties with B. oneidense should be protected from severe disturbances that eliminate shade or alter the water regime. Recovery Potential: Where degradation is not severe, recovery potential is probably high. Some human disturbances may even be beneficial. In cases of severe degradation that would eliminate shade and/or underground stems, recovery potential would be low. Populations are widely scattered, making it less likely that spores will be available for recolonization. Biological Monitoring Needs: The presence or absence of plants at historic sites should be verified and all sites should be periodically monitored for population sizes. We also need to know to what extent plants have been overlooked. Biological Monitoring Procedures: All historic sites and areas that have potential habitat should be searched. Population sizes should be recorded every two or three years at known sites. Biological Monitoring Programs: James D. Montgomery is doing research on New Jersey ferns and has considerable knowledge of their distribution and ecology. Summary of Stewardship Needs: Botrychium oneidense is a widely distributed fern in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. It usually grows in low acid secondary woods and swamps, often with related evergreen grapeferns, particularly B. dissectum. It is local and rare throughout most of its range and in New Jersey is known from widely scattered localities in seven counties. The habitat is late-successional and characterized by intermittent wetness. The plants are tolerant of human disturbance, although they probably have been eliminated from many historic sites by suburban development. Sites should be protected from severe disturbances that eliminate shade and alter the water regime. Recovery potential is probably high except in cases of severe degradation. Historic sites of B. oneidense need searching as well as places where plants may have been overlooked. Population sizes at known sites should be monitored. Bibliography for Botrychium oneidense (gilb.) House: ANSP. 1990. Data from Specimen Labels in the Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. Clausen, R.T. & J.L. Edwards. 1937. The Ophioglossaceae of New Jersey, a Study in Local Distribution. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 64(5): 269-284. Clausen, R.T. 1938. A Monograph of the Ophioglossaceae. Mem. Torrey Bot. Club 19(2): 1-177. Clausen, R.T. 1943. Studies in the Ophioglossaceae: Botrychium, Subgenus Sceptridium. Amer. Fern J. 33(1): 11-27. Clausen, R.T. 1944. Status of Botrychium dissectum var. oneidense. Amer. Fern J. 34(2): 55-60. Cusick, A.W. 1970. A Second Station for Botrychium oneidense in West Virginia. Castanea 35: 149-150. Dix, W.L. 1945. Observed Characteristics of Botrychium multifidum var. oneidense. Amer. Fern J. 35(2): 37-39. Fernald, M.L. 1950. Gray's Manual of Botany. 8th ed. American Book Co., New York. lxiv + 1632 pp. Fosburg, F.R. 1961. Southern Distribution of Botrychium oneidense and B. multifidum. Amer. Fern J. 51(4): 175-180. Gilbert, B.D. 1901. The Ternate Botrychia in Central New York. Fern Bull. 9(2): 25-28. Gleason, H.A. 1952. The New Britton and Brown Illustrated Flora of the Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. The New York Botanical Garden, New York. 3 v. Hagenah, D.J. 1950. New Records for the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. Rhodora 52: 41-45. Hagenah, D.J. 1966. Notes on Michigan Pteridophytes, II. Distribution of the Ophioglossaceae. Amer. Fern J. 56(4): 150-162. House, H.D. 1931. Nomenclatural Notes on Certain American Plants.-I. Amer. Midl. Nat. 7: 126-135. Mickel, J.T. 1979. How to Know the Ferns and Fern Allies. Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, Dubuque. xi + 229 pp. Montgomery, J.D. 1990. Ecology III, Inc., Berwick, PA, personal communication. Montgomery, J.D. & D.E. Fairbrothers. 1985. Geographical Distribution of New Jersey's Pteridophytes. Bartonia No. 51: 52-57. NJNHP. 1989a. Element Occurrence Summaries. New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton. NJNHP. 1989b. State Ranking Forms. New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton. Scoggan, H.J. 1978. The Flora of Canada, Part 2, Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, Monocotyledoneae. Natl. Mus. Canada Pub. Bot. No. 7(2):93-545. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1955. Cytotaxonomic Observations on North American Ferns. Rhodora 57: 219-240. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1959. American Grapeferns Resembling Botrychium ternatum: A Preliminary Report. Amer. Fern J. 49(3): 97-103. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1960. Periodicity and Pigmentation in Botrychium subg. Sceptridium in the Northeastern United States. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 87(5): 303-325. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1960. Evergreen Grapeferns and the Meaning of Infraspecific Categories as Used in North American Pteridophytes. Amer. Fern J. 50(1): 32-45. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1961. Roots and Taxonomic Differences between Botrychium oneidense and B. dissectum. Rhodora 63: 164-175. Wagner, W.H., Jr. 1990. Department of Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, personal communication. Wagner, W.H., Jr. & D.E. Rawlings. 1962. A Sampling of Botrychium Subgen. Sceptridium in the Vicinity of Leonardtown, St. Mary's Co., Md. Castanea 27(3): 132-142.