trefle.io · Taken Jul 15, 2012 by Tela Botanica − Yoan MARTIN (cc-by-sa)
Ophioglossaceae
Common moonwort
Botrychium lunaria
Also known as Moonwort fern, Botrychium moonwort, Grape fern, Osmunda lunaria
Native Plants · Fern · Alpine · Moonwort · Botrychium · Wild · Rare · Cool-Climate · Shade-Tolerant · Woodland · Mycorrhizal
Common moonwort is a tiny, delicate fern ally that thrives in undisturbed alpine and subalpine meadows with cool, moist, humus-rich soils. It is extremely difficult to cultivate outside its native habitat as it depends on specific soil fungi for germination and survival. This plant is best admired in the wild rather than attempted as a garden specimen.
Growing conditions
The details behind the basics
- Daily light
- 4 hours
- Watering
- Water moderately, keeping soil consistently moist but never waterlogged · Every 7-10 days during growing season
- Maintenance
- High
- Soil
- loam
- Soil pH
- 5.8–7.2
- Temperature
- -25°F to 85°F
- Cycle
- Perennial
- Propagation
- Seed
Hardiness
USDA 4b-9b
Form & growth
Mature size and habit
- Mature height
- 12 in – 3 ft
- Spread
- 2 ft
- Spacing
- 6 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Root depth
- Medium
- Flowers
- No
- Foliage
- Fine
Ecology & origin
Where it belongs and what it brings
- Native to
- Afghanistan, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Austria, Azores, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast
Sources: trefle, usda
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