The Growth Pattern of Ophioglossoid Ferns: A Case Study of Botrychium lunaria (L.) Sw.

Abstract The family Ophioglossaceae is one of the oldest fern lineages, characterized by a specific sporophyte structure where each leaf is divided into a fertile (sporophore) and a sterile (trophophore) segment. The aims of this study were to analyze: (1) the growth rate and duration for each developmental stage of the sporophyte of the protected fern Botrychium lunaria (L.) Sw., (2) the correlation between sporophore and trophophore size, and (3) the effects of soil conditions and density of other herbaceous plants on the development and number of individuals of B. lunaria to suggest some possible methods for its protection. Field research was conducted in a threatened population of this species in alluvial ash forest (Astrantio-Fraxinetum Oberd. 1953) at the base of Dziewicza Gora, a wooded hill in western Poland. During leaf emergence, the first and longest stage of development, the leaf developed intensively. Subsequently, its subdivision into the sporophore and trophophore became apparent. Throughou...