Plant Profile: Botrychium virginianum

Rattlesnake Fern is a deciduous species that thrives in a range of environments, including dry, mesic, and wet forests, as well as in coves and particularly in moist bottomlands and slopes enriched with nutrients. This fern favors shaded, damp woodlands. It is among the earliest ferns to emerge in the spring. Characterized by its underground rhizomes and coarse, shallow horizontal roots, it produces unique spores that develop at the junction of its leaves. Cultivating this plant can be quite challenging.