BOTRYCHIUM, (Gk. p&rpvxos.
a curl or lock of hair, /36rpims, botrys, grape-clus ter; refers to its fruit-clusters). A genus of ferns of the order Ophioglosseme, having a short. erect rootstock, with clustered, fleshy roots, bear ing a stalk, one part of which is sterile and fern like, the other fertile and carrying the clusters of sporangia or spore-eases. Time species are of little importance economically. Time only British species is the Bot•yehium lunaria (moormvort), a little plant pretty frequent in dry mountain pas tures, but not applied to any particular use. A species more worthy of notice is Botrychinta rirginianum, of which the geographical distribu tion is very remarkable. It abounds in ninny parts of the United States, in the mountains of Mexico, in Australia, in some parts of Asia, as the Himalaya Mountains, and is found also in Norway, although in no other part of Europe. It is large and succulent, and is boiled and eaten in the Himalaya, in New Zealand, etc. It is
called rattlesnake-fern in some parts of Amer ica, from its growing in places where rattle snakes are found. in the United States, Botry chiunt Virginia nu in ranges from Washington to Colorado and Texas, and eastward, including Florida. Botrychium luna•ia ranges from Colo rado to New England, Lake Superior, and spar ingly northward. Botrychium simplex. a rare species. small fronds, is found from Califor nia and Yellowstone Park to Lake Superior and eastward. A variety, rompositum, occurs in Alpine regions. Botrychium lanceolatom ranges from Colorado to Lake Superior, Ohio, New Jer sey, and New England. Botrychium lunarioidcs is found from Massachusetts to Florida in dry, rich woods and shady pastures. It has two varieties: obliguunt and dissectm. Botryehium tcrnat um, a variable species, occurs throughout North America.