DESCRIPTION
Linnaeus originally named this species Osmunda virginiana. Later, Swartz established the genus Botrychium and moved this species to it. Botrychium virginianum is described in the Field Guide to Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia and is housed in the University of Georgia Herbarium. B. virginianum is a lacy looking fern. "The fertile portion of the frond arises from the juncture of the sterile blade in late spring or early summer and often grow seven and a half to fifteen and a half inches above the pretty sterile leaf (Dunbar,1989)." The early observers were reminded of a rattlesnake rattle when first examining the sporangial clusters and hence the name rattlesnake fern. To others, the clusters were reminiscent of grapes and is refereed to by some as the grapefern. "In addition, an old folklore said that wherever this fern grew, ginseng could be found and the common names indicator and sang-sign arose(Dunbar,1989)." The native Americans found the blades had properties that were helpful in relieving the pain from open sores. The ferns were boiled and eaten in some cases, and "pulped and applied to snakebites (1.)." Rattlesnake ferns grow well in rich, moist woodlands, and wet thickets. It thrives in shady sub-acid and is easy to cultivate (Dunbar,1989).
RANGE
Botrychium virginianum ranges from Europe, Asia, and is common in much of North America, and all throughout Northern Georgia, and the Southeastern Coastal Plains.
Botrychium virginianum |
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| AREA | STATUS | REFERENCES |
| North America: Continental United States; Canada | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1986 |
| Eastern North America: United States east of Mississippi; Ontario and eastern Canada | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1986 |
| Southeastern United States: AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1986 |
| Southern Appalachian States: AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1986 |
| Coastal Plain | Yes | Dunbar, 1989 |
| Piedmont | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1989 |
| Blue Ridge Mountains | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1989 |
| Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1989 |
| Ridge and Valley | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1989 |
| Cumberland Plateau | Yes | Bruce & Snyder, 1989 |
| Central Arch | Yes | Dunbar, 1986 |
| Georgia | Yes | Dunbar, 1986 |
| Clarke County, Georgia | Yes | State of Georgia Botanical Gardens |
| Sams Farm | Probably | Dudley B. Christie Pers. Ob. |
| Probably | Dudley B. Christie, Pers. Ob. |
| no | Dudley B. Christie,Pers. Ob. |
| Pobably | Dudley B. Christie Pers. Ob. |
| Probably | Dudley B. Christie, Pers. Ob. |
(The data from Sam's Farm are assumptions based on the ecological requirements of the species and the habitat conditions provided by Sam's Farm)
ECOLOGICAL REQUIREMENTS and LIFE CYCLE
Botrychium virginianum "thrive in moist deciduous woodlands, usually in rich well-drained soils in calcareous and non-calcareous areas (Bruce,1986)." The fertile portion of the frond arises form the intersection of the sterile blade in late spring or early summer. "The spores are born upon a specialized axis, the fertile spike (2.)." The sporangia are capable of producing large numbers of spores. "The gametophyte stage of this specimen is subterranean, lack chlorophyll, and contain filamentous structures (hyphae) of an associated fungus (2.)." The life cycle ofB. virginianum begins after a "spore settles in a favorable place and develops into a heart shaped gametophyte. Most ferns are homosporous. Each gametophyte has both male and female sex organs, but the archegonia and antheridia usually mature at different times assuring cross-fertilization between gametophytes. Fern sperm use flagella to swim through moisture from antheridia to eggs in the archegonia and the fertilize the egg. A sex attractant secreted by the archegonia helps direct the sperm. A fertilized egg develops into a new sporophyte, and the young plant grows out from an archegonium of its parent, the gametophyte (Campbell,1996)." The clusters of sporangia release the spores that give rise to the gametophytes.
The Rattlesnake Fern is a common memeber of the flora in many regions of the country. It's distinct sporangial clusters provide an ideal marking trait. A careful eye when walking through a decidous woodland should result in the discovery of this organism.
References
Campbell, N.A. 1996. Biology. Benjanim Cummings Publishing Company. University of California, Riverside. 1206 pages.
Dunbar, L. 1989. Ferns of the Coastal Plain. The University of South Carolina Press. Columbia, South Carolina. (ISBN-0-87249--594-9). 165 pages.
Green, P.S. & K.U. Kramer. 1990. The Families and General of Vascular Plants
Small, J.K. 1938. Ferns of the Southeastern States. THe Science Press Lancaster, Pa. 597 pages.
Internet Resources
Bruce, J.G. & L.H. Snyder. 1986. Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia. The University of Georgia Press. Athens, Ga. (ISBN-0-8203-0847-1). 270 pages.
1. http;//www.anthro.mankat...ethnobotany/medical1.htm
2. htp://www.cb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=mzcro/5005/48/18.html
3. gopher://wiscinfo.wisc.e...ychium/B_virginianum_KS_