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.
Facts
Classification
DietPhotosynthetic Autotroph 1 System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleUsed in Traditional Medicine 2 Living or Extinct Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix Scientific Name Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Moonwort
In Biome
Source NatureServe Explorer: Botrychium lunaria
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Botrychium lunaria (Wikipedia)
Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs toQuote, Lead, sentence naming the group it belongs to
Botrychium lunaria is a species of fern in the family Ophioglossaceae known by the common name moonwort or common moonwort.
2. Plants For A Future: Botrychium lunaria
Plants For A FutureHabitats
Dry grassland and rock ledges ... usually on peaty soils
Medicinal Uses
Moonwort has a long reputation as a vulnerary herb, the leaves are used externally as an ointment or taken internally[4, 240].
View the Source 3. GBIF Species API
4. NatureServe Explorer: Botrychium lunaria
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
In Biome: Grassland, Species characteristics: Grassland/herbaceous
"terrestrialHabitatDescEn": "Grassland/herbaceous"
View the Source 5. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Plantae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 45Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 45
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Plants","language":"EN"},{"name":"Flora","language":"EN"}],"cites_listings":[]
6. Wikidata: Moonwort
Child Taxon Of: Pteridophyta, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ579784, descriptionView the Source Plant (Wikipedia)
Lead, whole group is photosyntheticQuote, Lead, whole group is photosynthetic
They are predominantly photosynthetic or came from photosynthetic ancestors, meaning that they obtain their energy from sunlight by using the green pigment chlorophyll in their chloroplasts to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
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