Wisconsin's rare plants

Rugulose grape-fern is 10-45cm tall and has deltate to broadly lanceolate fronds that are 2.5-9cm long and 2.5-9 cm wide, 2-3 times pinnate and ovate pinnae have an acute apex and margins entire to irregularly toothed or finely lobed. Pinnae are divided to the tip of the frond. The basal, fertile portion of frond is an erect spike that is 6-19cm long and slightly to many times longer than the sterile portion, pinnately branched at its apex, each branch and branchlet bears two rows of sporangia not or only slightly embedded in the branch.

Its pinnae are divided to tip of blade unlike those of Botrychium oneidense and B dissectum, which tend to be merely lobed toward the tip, and the apex of pinnae of the laminae are acute unlike the rounded apex of B multifidum. The segments of blade are somewhat channeled or concave in living specimens unlike the flattened, planar blades of B multifidum.

Rhizomatous. Fruiting occurs in late-September.

Perennial. The optimal identification period for this species is early-June through August.

Associated species include Botrychium dissectum, B multifidum, Calamagrostis canadensis, Solidago altissima, and Pinus banksiana.

Rugulose grape-fern is found on moist sandy shorelines of fluctuating lakes and ponds.

Avoid known individual plant locations and conduct operations elsewhere when they are least likely to cause damage. Ideally, this would involve frozen, snow-covered ground. However, in areas of the state where frozen conditions are unreliable, very dry soils late in the growing season might be the best available alternative. Consult with a biologist, if needed.

Avoid broadcast spraying of herbicides and use care with spot spraying.

Avoid disturbance to shorelines and the forest-beach interface.

Minimize disturbance to hydrology, including soil disturbance from rutting.

Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) are associated with habitats (or natural communities) and places on the landscape. Understanding relationships among SGCN, natural communities and ecological landscapes help us make decisions about issues affecting SGCN and their habitat and how to respond. Download the Wildlife Action Plan association score spreadsheet to explore rare species, natural communities and ecological landscape associations

Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.