Ophioglossum pusillum
Encyclopedia
Ophioglossum pusillum is a species of fern
like plant in the family Ophioglossaceae
known by the common name northern adder's tongue. It is native to northern North America, where it is widespread in moist areas such as marsh
es, fen
s, and meadows. It is a small, inconspicuous, fleshy perennial plant growing from a caudex
no more than 2 centimeters wide. It produces one leaf per year. The leaf is divided into a thin, pale green blade-shaped part, which is sterile, and a fertile stalk lined with two rows of sporangia
.
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
like plant in the family Ophioglossaceae
Ophioglossaceae
Ophioglossaceae, the Adder's tongue family, is a family of ferns, currently thought to be most closely related to Psilotaceae, the two together comprising the class Psilotopsida as the sibling group to the rest of the ferns. The Ophioglossaceae is one of two groups of ferns traditionally known as...
known by the common name northern adder's tongue. It is native to northern North America, where it is widespread in moist areas such as marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es, fen
Fen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s, and meadows. It is a small, inconspicuous, fleshy perennial plant growing from a caudex
Caudex
A caudex is a form of stem morphology appearing as a thickened, short, perennial stem that is either underground or near ground level . It may be swollen for the purpose of water storage, especially in xerophytes...
no more than 2 centimeters wide. It produces one leaf per year. The leaf is divided into a thin, pale green blade-shaped part, which is sterile, and a fertile stalk lined with two rows of sporangia
Sporangium
A sporangium is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. All plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cycle...
.