Species
Moonwort
Ferns and Fern Allies
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Moonwort, Botrychium lunaria, is a small fern of the family Ophioglossaceae found across cool temperate and alpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere, typically growing in short grassland, dunes and mountain meadows. Its common name and species epithet both refer to the crescent moon-like shape of the small lobes making up its single sterile leaf blade, and the plant was long associated in European folklore with magical properties, once believed able to unlock locks or pull the shoes from a horse that walked over it.
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