Ophioglossum vulgatum

Ophioglossum vulgatum I^. Sp. PI. 1062. 1753
ophioglossum pusillum Raf . Jour, de Bot. Desv. II. 4 : 273. 1814.
Ophioglossum arenarium K. G. Britton, Bull. Torrey Club 24 : 555. pi. 318 ; 319,/. 3. 1897.
Ophioglossum alaskanum B. G. Britton, Bull. Torrey Club 24 : 556. pi. 319, f. 5. 1897.
Plant 6-26 cm. high ; rhizome cylindric or fusiform, 4-15 mm. long, 1.5-4 mm. thick ; roots numerous, persistent, fleshy-fibrous, 0.5-1 mm. thick ; leaves usually one, rarely two ; commonstalk 4-21 cm. long, mostly epigean ; lamina usually sessile, plane, upwardly inclined, lanceolate, ovate, oblong, elliptic or spatulate, acute, obtuse or rounded below, blunt or rounded above, rarely acute, translucent when dry, 1.5-12 cm. long, 0.7-5 cm. broad, the basal veins 7-11, about equal in size, the median vein simple except for secondary connecting veinlets, or rarely with one or two branches, the areolae small and indefinite, simple or with few-many included veinlets ; sporophyl 3-27 cm. long, the spike 8^0 mm. long, 1.5-3.5 mm. thick, apiculate ; sporangia 7-52-jugate ; spores .03-. 05 mm. in diameter, reticulate, rather coarsely pitted, verrucose, the pits angular, 6-12 to the semicircumference.
Type locality : Europe.
Distribution : Maine and Quebec to Alaska, south to Texas (and Mexico ?).