The Ophioglossaceae

The Adder's Tongue Fern Family

Botrychium echo	Botrychium minganense

The Ophioglossaceae are a family with nearly worldwide distribution. The family contains 3-5 genera and 70-80 species. The Ophioglossaceae is one of two extant eusporangiate fern families and apparently has no close affinities to other ferns. Recent molecular evidence suggests a relationship between Ophioglossaceae and Psilotaceae, but these data are not conclusive.

Vegetative Characters

• a single frond produced above ground per year
• frond divided into fertile and sterile segments
• sterile segment may be simple and entire, or highly dissected to compound
• roots with mycorrhizal associations

Reproductive Characters

• fertile segment bearing many sporangia
• sporangia are eusporangiate in structure
• thousands of spores produced per year
• gametophytes are underground, non-photosynthetic

Diagnostic Characters

• the division of the frond into fertile and sterile segments
• eusporangia

Fun Facts

• they are the most facinating of all extant plants
• some species are epiphytic
• Dr. Hauk did his Ph.D. research on them

Glossary of Terms

• mycorrhizae - a symbiotic relationship between a plant root and a soil fungus
• eusporangia - a thick walled, large sprangium that produces thousands of spores
• gametophyte - the haploid stage in alternation of generations
• epiphytic - a plant that lives on another plant (not a parasite)

References and Links

• Wagner, W.H. 1990. Ophioglossaceae. in Families and Genera of Vascular Plants, Vol. 1: Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms, Springer-Verlag, New York.
• Wagner, W.H. and F.S. Wagner. 1993. Ophioglossaceae, in Flora of North America, Vol. 2: Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms, Oxford University Press, New York

Pictures

For questions or feedback, contact: Warren Hauk