Plants perennials, terrestrial or epiphytic. Roots lacking root hairs, unbranched or with a few narrow lateral branches, in 1 species dichotomously branched. Stems simple, unbranched, upright, with eustelic vascular tissue. Leaf bases dilated, clasping, forming sheath, open or fused, surrounding successive leaf primordia; primordia glabrous or with long, uniseriate hairs. Leaves 1(–2) per stem, with common stalk divided into sterile, laminate, photosynthetic portion (trophophore) and fertile, spore-bearing portion (sporophore). Trophophore blades compound to simple, rarely absent, veins anastomosing or free, pinnate, or arranged like ribs of fan. Indument absent or of widely scattered, long, uniseriate hairs, especially on petioles and rachises. Sporophores pinnately branched or simple. Sporangia exposed or embedded, 0.5–1.5 mm diam., thick-walled, with thousands of spores. Spores all 1 kind, trilete, thick-walled, surface rugate, tuberculate, baculate (with projecting rods usually higher than wide), sometimes joined in delicate network, mostly with ± warty surface. Gametophytes not green, usually fleshy, round or linear, subterranean, mycorrhizal.

Distribution

Nearly worldwide.

Discussion

Ophioglossaceae comprise two clearly defined subfamilies, Botrychioideae and Ophioglossoideae, which are sometimes recognized as distinct families. Ophioglossaceae may be only distantly related to the ferns and more closely related to Marattiales and certain seedplants, especially Cycadales, in such characteristics as stelar type, cork cambium, dilated leaf bases, conduplicate vernation, intercalary leaf growth, collateral leaf traces, circular-bordered pits, eusporangia, massive gametophytes, sunken archegonia, and presence in some species of endoscopic embryos.

(Key to genera of Ophioglossaceae)

Genera 5, species ca. 70–80 (3 genera, 38 species in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Botrychium, Cheiroglossa, Ophioglossum

Illustrations

	Family ⠉	Taxon	Illustrator ⠉
	Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae	Botrychium matricariifolium Botrychium lanceolatum subsp. lanceolatum Botrychium campestre Botrychium virginianum Botrychium simplex Botrychium minganense Botrychium paradoxum Botrychium pedunculosum Botrychium lunaria	Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell
	Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae	Botrychium lunarioides Botrychium multifidum Botrychium dissectum Botrychium biternatum	Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell
	Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae Ophioglossaceae	Ophioglossum vulgatum Ophioglossum engelmannii Ophioglossum pusillum Ophioglossum crotalophoroides Cheiroglossa palmata Ophioglossum nudicaule	Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell Bobbi Angell

Key

1	Blades mostly pinnately divided or lobed; veins free; margins entire to dentate to lacerate; sporangial clusters pinnately branched, sporangia sessile or terminating short stalks.	Botrychium
1	Blades undivided or palmately lobed; veins anastomosing; margins entire; sporangial clusters with sporangia embedded in compact linear spike.	> 2
2	Trophophore blades simple, unlobed, to 4.5 cm wide; main areoles mostly less than 6 mm wide; sporophore 1 per leaf at ground level or above ground level, or absent; plants terrestrial.	Ophioglossum
2	Trophophore blades palmately lobed, to 30 cm wide; main areoles large, mostly more than 30 mm; sporophores several to many per leaf at base of blade; plants epiphytic.	Cheiroglossa