logo Calflora, a 501c3 non-profit
Taxon  Report  
Ophioglossum pusillum  Raf.
Northern adder's tongue,   Northern adderstongue
Ophioglossum pusillum is a fern (rhizomatous) that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
also called Ophioglossum vulgatum
California Rare Plant Rank: 2B.2 (rare, threatened, or endangered in CA; common elsewhere).
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
Observation Search
~18 records in California
yellowone or more occurrences
within a 7.5-minute quadrangle
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Genus: Ophioglossum
Family: Ophioglossaceae  
Category: fern  
PLANTS group:Fern
Jepson eFlora section: fern

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Habitat: freshwater-marsh, edges

Communities: Freshwater Wetlands, Valley Grassland, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + CNPS + PLANTS

Alternate Names:
PLANTSOphioglossum vulgatum var. alaskanum
JEF + PLANTSOphioglossum vulgatum var. pseudopodum
CNPS + PLANTSOphioglossum vulgatum
Information about  Ophioglossum pusillum from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (OPPU3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[Wikipedia] Range, Habitat: It is native to northern North America, where it is widespread in moist areas such as marshes, fens, and meadows. It is found from northern California through Alaska on the west, and from central Appalachia through the northern Great Plains and the Great Lakes regions, across the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 11/21/2024).