Index / Search / Botrychium virginianum
§1 Plant
Botrychium virginianum (L.) Sw.
vernacular rattlesnake fern — species · Ophioglossaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Fern
- Family
- Ophioglossaceae Martinov
- Genus
- Botrychium
§2a
Native status, by region
- AK Alaska Native
- CAN Canada Native
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
§2b
County-level range
· 736 counties across 24 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Low
- Shade
- Low
- Moisture use
- Medium
- Fire
- High
- Salinity
- None
- Anaerobic
- None
- CaCO₃
- Low
- Hedging
- None
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -38 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 85 min.
- Precipitation
- 14–55 in/yr
- pH range
- 5.6–6.9
- Root depth
- 10 in min.
- Fertility need
- High
- Soil texture
- medium
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Rhizomatous
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Moderate
- Mature height
- 1.4 ft
- Foliage texture
- Fine
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (summer)
- Porous
- Porosity (winter)
- Porous
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Late Spring
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Summer
- Spread rate
- None
- Stratify
- No
- Propagation
- bare root, sprigs
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- No Known Source
- Nursery stock
- No
- Palatable, human
- No
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 736 counties across 24 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 40 N ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Baldwin 01003
- Bibb 01007
- Blount 01009
- Calhoun 01015
- Chambers 01017
- Cherokee 01019
- Clarke 01025
- Clay 01027
- Cleburne 01029
- Colbert 01033
- Coosa 01037
- Covington 01039
- Cullman 01043
- DeKalb 01049
- Etowah 01055
- Fayette 01057
- Franklin 01059
- Greene 01063
- Hale 01065
- Jackson 01071
- Jefferson 01073
- Lauderdale 01077
- Lawrence 01079
- Lee 01081
- Limestone 01083
- Madison 01089
- Marengo 01091
- Marshall 01095
- Mobile 01097
- Morgan 01103
- Perry 01105
- Pike 01109
- Russell 01113
- Shelby 01117
- Tallapoosa 01123
- Tuscaloosa 01125
- Walker 01127
- Washington 01129
- Winston 01133
Alaska view state ↗ 4 N ▾
Arizona view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Arkansas view state ↗ 69 N ▾
- Arkansas 05001
- Ashley 05003
- Baxter 05005
- Benton 05007
- Boone 05009
- Bradley 05011
- Calhoun 05013
- Carroll 05015
- Chicot 05017
- Clark 05019
- Clay 05021
- Cleburne 05023
- Cleveland 05025
- Conway 05029
- Craighead 05031
- Crawford 05033
- Crittenden 05035
- Cross 05037
- Dallas 05039
- Desha 05041
- Drew 05043
- Faulkner 05045
- Franklin 05047
- Fulton 05049
- Garland 05051
- Grant 05053
- Greene 05055
- Hempstead 05057
- Hot Spring 05059
- Howard 05061
- Independence 05063
- Izard 05065
- Jackson 05067
- Jefferson 05069
- Johnson 05071
- Lawrence 05075
- Lee 05077
- Lincoln 05079
- Logan 05083
- Lonoke 05085
- Madison 05087
- Marion 05089
- Mississippi 05093
- Monroe 05095
- Montgomery 05097
- Nevada 05099
- Newton 05101
- Ouachita 05103
- Perry 05105
- Phillips 05107
- Pike 05109
- Poinsett 05111
- Polk 05113
- Pope 05115
- Prairie 05117
- Pulaski 05119
- Randolph 05121
- Saline 05125
- Searcy 05129
- Sebastian 05131
- Sharp 05135
- St. Francis 05123
- Stone 05137
- Union 05139
- Van Buren 05141
- Washington 05143
- White 05145
- Woodruff 05147
- Yell 05149
Delaware view state ↗ 3 N ▾
District of Columbia view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Florida view state ↗ 10 N ▾
Georgia view state ↗ 56 N ▾
- Baldwin 13009
- Bartow 13015
- Ben Hill 13017
- Bulloch 13031
- Burke 13033
- Butts 13035
- Carroll 13045
- Cherokee 13057
- Clarke 13059
- Columbia 13073
- Dade 13083
- DeKalb 13089
- Early 13099
- Elbert 13105
- Fannin 13111
- Fayette 13113
- Floyd 13115
- Forsyth 13117
- Fulton 13121
- Gilmer 13123
- Gordon 13129
- Grady 13131
- Greene 13133
- Gwinnett 13135
- Habersham 13137
- Hall 13139
- Harris 13145
- Hart 13147
- Henry 13151
- Houston 13153
- Jackson 13157
- Jasper 13159
- Lee 13177
- Lincoln 13181
- Lumpkin 13187
- Madison 13195
- Monroe 13207
- Morgan 13211
- Murray 13213
- Newton 13217
- Oglethorpe 13221
- Paulding 13223
- Pickens 13227
- Polk 13233
- Putnam 13237
- Rabun 13241
- Randolph 13243
- Rockdale 13247
- Stephens 13257
- Talbot 13263
- Thomas 13275
- Towns 13281
- Troup 13285
- Walker 13295
- White 13311
- Worth 13321
Kentucky view state ↗ 109 N ▾
- Adair 21001
- Allen 21003
- Anderson 21005
- Barren 21009
- Bath 21011
- Bell 21013
- Boone 21015
- Boyd 21019
- Boyle 21021
- Breathitt 21025
- Breckinridge 21027
- Bullitt 21029
- Butler 21031
- Caldwell 21033
- Calloway 21035
- Campbell 21037
- Carlisle 21039
- Carter 21043
- Casey 21045
- Christian 21047
- Clark 21049
- Clay 21051
- Clinton 21053
- Crittenden 21055
- Daviess 21059
- Edmonson 21061
- Elliott 21063
- Estill 21065
- Fayette 21067
- Fleming 21069
- Floyd 21071
- Franklin 21073
- Fulton 21075
- Gallatin 21077
- Garrard 21079
- Grant 21081
- Graves 21083
- Grayson 21085
- Green 21087
- Greenup 21089
- Hancock 21091
- Hardin 21093
- Harlan 21095
- Harrison 21097
- Hart 21099
- Henderson 21101
- Henry 21103
- Hickman 21105
- Hopkins 21107
- Jackson 21109
- Jefferson 21111
- Jessamine 21113
- Johnson 21115
- Kenton 21117
- Knott 21119
- Knox 21121
- Larue 21123
- Laurel 21125
- Lawrence 21127
- Lee 21129
- Leslie 21131
- Letcher 21133
- Lewis 21135
- Lincoln 21137
- Livingston 21139
- Logan 21141
- Lyon 21143
- Madison 21151
- Magoffin 21153
- Marion 21155
- Marshall 21157
- Martin 21159
- McCracken 21145
- McCreary 21147
- McLean 21149
- Meade 21163
- Menifee 21165
- Mercer 21167
- Metcalfe 21169
- Monroe 21171
- Montgomery 21173
- Morgan 21175
- Muhlenberg 21177
- Nelson 21179
- Nicholas 21181
- Ohio 21183
- Oldham 21185
- Owen 21187
- Owsley 21189
- Pendleton 21191
- Perry 21193
- Pike 21195
- Powell 21197
- Pulaski 21199
- Robertson 21201
- Rockcastle 21203
- Rowan 21205
- Russell 21207
- Scott 21209
- Simpson 21213
- Taylor 21217
- Todd 21219
- Trigg 21221
- Union 21225
- Warren 21227
- Wayne 21231
- Webster 21233
- Wolfe 21237
- Woodford 21239
Louisiana view state ↗ 37 N ▾
- Ascension 22005
- Bienville 22013
- Bossier 22015
- Caddo 22017
- Caldwell 22021
- Catahoula 22025
- Claiborne 22027
- De Soto 22031
- East Baton Rouge 22033
- East Carroll 22035
- East Feliciana 22037
- Evangeline 22039
- Franklin 22041
- Grant 22043
- Iberville 22047
- Jackson 22049
- LaSalle 22059
- Lincoln 22061
- Madison 22065
- Morehouse 22067
- Natchitoches 22069
- Ouachita 22073
- Rapides 22079
- Red River 22081
- Richland 22083
- Sabine 22085
- St. Helena 22091
- St. Landry 22097
- St. Martin 22099
- St. Mary 22101
- Tensas 22107
- Union 22111
- Vernon 22115
- Webster 22119
- West Carroll 22123
- West Feliciana 22125
- Winn 22127
Maine view state ↗ 12 N ▾
Maryland view state ↗ 12 N ▾
Massachusetts view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Mississippi view state ↗ 29 N ▾
- Benton 28009
- Calhoun 28013
- Carroll 28015
- Chickasaw 28017
- Choctaw 28019
- DeSoto 28033
- Forrest 28035
- Franklin 28037
- Grenada 28043
- Holmes 28051
- Jones 28067
- Lafayette 28071
- Lauderdale 28075
- Lee 28081
- Leflore 28083
- Madison 28089
- Marshall 28093
- Monroe 28095
- Noxubee 28103
- Pontotoc 28115
- Tate 28137
- Tippah 28139
- Tishomingo 28141
- Union 28145
- Warren 28149
- Washington 28151
- Winston 28159
- Yalobusha 28161
- Yazoo 28163
Montana view state ↗ 2 N ▾
New Hampshire view state ↗ 10 N ▾
New Jersey view state ↗ 20 N ▾
New York view state ↗ 61 N ▾
- Albany 36001
- Allegany 36003
- Bronx 36005
- Broome 36007
- Cattaraugus 36009
- Cayuga 36011
- Chautauqua 36013
- Chemung 36015
- Chenango 36017
- Clinton 36019
- Columbia 36021
- Cortland 36023
- Delaware 36025
- Dutchess 36027
- Erie 36029
- Essex 36031
- Franklin 36033
- Fulton 36035
- Genesee 36037
- Greene 36039
- Hamilton 36041
- Herkimer 36043
- Jefferson 36045
- Kings 36047
- Lewis 36049
- Livingston 36051
- Madison 36053
- Monroe 36055
- Montgomery 36057
- Nassau 36059
- New York 36061
- Niagara 36063
- Oneida 36065
- Onondaga 36067
- Ontario 36069
- Orange 36071
- Orleans 36073
- Oswego 36075
- Otsego 36077
- Putnam 36079
- Queens 36081
- Rensselaer 36083
- Richmond 36085
- Rockland 36087
- Saratoga 36091
- Schenectady 36093
- Schoharie 36095
- Seneca 36099
- St. Lawrence 36089
- Steuben 36101
- Suffolk 36103
- Sullivan 36105
- Tioga 36107
- Tompkins 36109
- Ulster 36111
- Warren 36113
- Washington 36115
- Wayne 36117
- Westchester 36119
- Wyoming 36121
- Yates 36123
North Carolina view state ↗ 65 N ▾
- Alexander 37003
- Alleghany 37005
- Ashe 37009
- Avery 37011
- Buncombe 37021
- Burke 37023
- Cabarrus 37025
- Caldwell 37027
- Caswell 37033
- Catawba 37035
- Chatham 37037
- Cherokee 37039
- Clay 37043
- Davidson 37057
- Davie 37059
- Durham 37063
- Edgecombe 37065
- Forsyth 37067
- Franklin 37069
- Gaston 37071
- Gates 37073
- Graham 37075
- Granville 37077
- Greene 37079
- Guilford 37081
- Haywood 37087
- Henderson 37089
- Iredell 37097
- Jackson 37099
- Johnston 37101
- Jones 37103
- Lee 37105
- Lincoln 37109
- Macon 37113
- Madison 37115
- Martin 37117
- McDowell 37111
- Mecklenburg 37119
- Mitchell 37121
- Montgomery 37123
- Moore 37125
- Nash 37127
- Onslow 37133
- Orange 37135
- Person 37145
- Pitt 37147
- Polk 37149
- Randolph 37151
- Rockingham 37157
- Rowan 37159
- Rutherford 37161
- Stanly 37167
- Stokes 37169
- Surry 37171
- Swain 37173
- Transylvania 37175
- Union 37179
- Vance 37181
- Wake 37183
- Warren 37185
- Watauga 37189
- Wayne 37191
- Wilkes 37193
- Yadkin 37197
- Yancey 37199
Pennsylvania view state ↗ 67 N ▾
- Adams 42001
- Allegheny 42003
- Armstrong 42005
- Beaver 42007
- Bedford 42009
- Berks 42011
- Blair 42013
- Bradford 42015
- Bucks 42017
- Butler 42019
- Cambria 42021
- Cameron 42023
- Carbon 42025
- Centre 42027
- Chester 42029
- Clarion 42031
- Clearfield 42033
- Clinton 42035
- Columbia 42037
- Crawford 42039
- Cumberland 42041
- Dauphin 42043
- Delaware 42045
- Elk 42047
- Erie 42049
- Fayette 42051
- Forest 42053
- Franklin 42055
- Fulton 42057
- Greene 42059
- Huntingdon 42061
- Indiana 42063
- Jefferson 42065
- Juniata 42067
- Lackawanna 42069
- Lancaster 42071
- Lawrence 42073
- Lebanon 42075
- Lehigh 42077
- Luzerne 42079
- Lycoming 42081
- McKean 42083
- Mercer 42085
- Mifflin 42087
- Monroe 42089
- Montgomery 42091
- Montour 42093
- Northampton 42095
- Northumberland 42097
- Perry 42099
- Philadelphia 42101
- Pike 42103
- Potter 42105
- Schuylkill 42107
- Snyder 42109
- Somerset 42111
- Sullivan 42113
- Susquehanna 42115
- Tioga 42117
- Union 42119
- Venango 42121
- Warren 42123
- Washington 42125
- Wayne 42127
- Westmoreland 42129
- Wyoming 42131
- York 42133
Rhode Island view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Vermont view state ↗ 13 N ▾
Virginia view state ↗ 97 N ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Albemarle 51003
- Alleghany 51005
- Amelia 51007
- Amherst 51009
- Appomattox 51011
- Arlington 51013
- Augusta 51015
- Bath 51017
- Bedford 51019
- Bland 51021
- Botetourt 51023
- Brunswick 51025
- Buchanan 51027
- Buckingham 51029
- Campbell 51031
- Caroline 51033
- Carroll 51035
- Charles City 51036
- Charlotte 51037
- Chesterfield 51041
- Clarke 51043
- Craig 51045
- Culpeper 51047
- Cumberland 51049
- Dickenson 51051
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Fairfax 51059
- Fauquier 51061
- Floyd 51063
- Fluvanna 51065
- Franklin 51067
- Frederick 51069
- Giles 51071
- Gloucester 51073
- Goochland 51075
- Grayson 51077
- Greene 51079
- Greensville 51081
- Halifax 51083
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Hanover 51085
- Henrico 51087
- Henry 51089
- Highland 51091
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- King and Queen 51097
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lancaster 51103
- Lee 51105
- Loudoun 51107
- Louisa 51109
- Lunenburg 51111
- Madison 51113
- Mathews 51115
- Mecklenburg 51117
- Middlesex 51119
- Montgomery 51121
- Nelson 51125
- New Kent 51127
- Newport News (city) 51700
- Northampton 51131
- Northumberland 51133
- Nottoway 51135
- Orange 51137
- Page 51139
- Patrick 51141
- Pittsylvania 51143
- Powhatan 51145
- Prince Edward 51147
- Prince William 51153
- Pulaski 51155
- Rappahannock 51157
- Richmond 51159
- Roanoke 51161
- Rockbridge 51163
- Rockingham 51165
- Russell 51167
- Scott 51169
- Shenandoah 51171
- Smyth 51173
- Southampton 51175
- Spotsylvania 51177
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Tazewell 51185
- Warren 51187
- Washington 51191
- Westmoreland 51193
- Wise 51195
- Wythe 51197
- York 51199
West Virginia view state ↗ 2 N ▾
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/BOVI ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/7917024 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T05:45:41Z