THE MOONWORT AND ITS ALLIES. 55 
The triangular, much divided blade and heavy fruiting 
panicle of this species gives it considerable superficial 
resemblance to the rattlesnake fern but there is little 
chance that they will be confused in the field. The 
rattlesnake fern has shed its spores and the fertile part 
has withered and gone, long before the grape fern has 
thought of coming up. Of all our species, this is latest 
to appear. Often it does not start into growth until 
late in July and the spores are not ripe until September 
or October. It also has the distinction of being our 
only evergreen Botrychium. At the approach of cold 
weather the fertile portion decays while the sterile merely 
takes on a rich bronze hue and braves the frost and 
snow. In late fall and early spring it is quite con- 
spicuous and the collector often locates his specimens at 
such seasons, returning later to collect them. The old 
frond usually remains until the new one has developed, 
just as that of the rattlesnake fern does, further south. 
The grape fern is from six to eighteen inches in height 
and quite fleshy. The blade approaches the triangular 
in outline and springs from the common stalk near the 
base. It is itself long stalked, the latter feature serving 
to distinguish it from its allies in northeastern America. 
There are six or more pairs of stalked pinne each of 
which is again pinnate with lobed or incised pinnules. 
The blade is frequently described as ternate, because the 
lowest pair of pinne are nearly as large as the rest of the 
frond. The pinnules and segments are quite variable in 
shape and cutting and these differences are often con- 
sidered of sufficient importance to warrant the making 
of numerous varieties or even species. The sterile part 
of the frond spreads nearly horizontally but the fertile 
is much taller and quite erect. The latter is about three 
