Least Moonwort vs Shade Moonwort

Botrychium simplex compared with Botrychium tenebrosum

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Least Moonwort	Shade Moonwort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Tracheophyta	Tracheophyta
Class same	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order same	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family same	Ophioglossaceae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus same	Botrychium	Botrychium
Species	Botrychium simplex	Botrychium tenebrosum

Evolutionary Relationship

Least Moonwort and Shade Moonwort share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Botrychium.

Conservation Status

Least Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Shade Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Least Moonwort	Shade Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Least Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shade Moonwort

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇮🇸 Iceland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States