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NEW ENGLAND FERN KEY |
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1 Normal fern shape (rachis, pinnae) 2 1' looks weird 24 2 Blade webbed = not quite pinnate 3 2' Blade once cut 6 2" " twice cut 9 2"' " thrice cut 20 3 Nearly once cut 4 3' Nearly twice cut 5 (Beech Ferns) 4 Pinna margins wavy Onoclea sensibilis S1 4' " " finely toothed Woodwardia areolata S2 5 Blade webbed to base Phegopteris hexagonoptera S3 5' " not webbed between 1st & 2nd pinnae Phegopteris connectilis S4 6 Evergreen; stipe green with many coarse brown scales Polystichum acrostichoides S5 6' Deciduous; " " with a few scattered scales Diplazium pycnocarpon S6 6" Evergreen; " " mostly smooth; on rocks 7 (Polypody) 6"' Evergreen; " thin, wiry, usually dark; usually on
rock 8 (Spleenwort) 7 Blade triangular, pinnae pointed (mostly) Polypodium appalachianum S7 7' " bitapering " rounded " Polypodium virginianum S8 8 Pinnae long narrow thumbed Asplenium platyneuron S9 8' " roundish A. trichomanes S10 8'' " " stipe green A. viride (trichomanes-ramosum) S11 (TWICE CUT) 9 Very short stipe, tiny basal pinnae 10 9' Stipe dark, smooth, bulbous at base Woodwardia virginica S12 9" Stipe green with long white hairs Deparia acrostichoides S13 9"' Stipe green or pastel-colored, wooly 11 (Osmunda) 9"" Stipe green to straw with scattered tan scales 12 9""' Stipe articulated 17 (Woodsia) 9""" Stipe green with coarse brown scales; rootstock crown 18 (Dryopteris) 10 Blade widest near apex Matteuccia struthiopteris S14 10' " middle; scales on rachis Polystichum braunii S15 10" " " ; no scales on rachis Thelypteris noveboracensis S16 9"' Stipe green or pastel-colored, wooly 11 (Osmunda) 9"" Stipe green to straw with scattered tan scales 12 9""' Stipe articulated 17 (Woodsia) 9""" Stipe green with coarse brown scales; rootstock crown 18 (Dryopteris) 10 Blade widest near apex Matteuccia struthiopteris S14 10' " middle; scales on rachis Polystichum braunii S15 10" " " ; no scales on rachis Thelypteris noveboracensis S16 11 Blade, pinna apex acute Osmunda cinnamomea S17 11' blunt Osmunda claytoniana S18 12 Blade glabrous; usually on rocks 13 (Fragile Ferns) 12' Hairs on blade 14 13 Short sharp sessile pinules Cystopteris fragilis S19 13' Tall rounded basal pinules constrict to base Cystopteris tenuis S20 13" Rhizome extends beyond last clump of fronds Cystopteris protrusa S21 14 White glandular hairs; bulblets; blade narrow, to 3'
long, widest at base Cystopteris bulbifera S22 14' Scattered glandular hairs; occasional bulblets; widest
above base Cystopteris laurentiana S23 14" White glandular hairs; sometimes nearly thrice cut;
widest at middle Woodsia obtusa S24 14"' Brown hairs on costa, sessile glands; pinnules not
cut 15 (Thelypteris) 15 Sterile veins forked, blade widest at base Thelypteris palustris S25 15' not not 16 16 Pinnae taper extremely to tiny stipe Thelypteris noveboracensis S16 16' Semitapered toward stipe; lower pinnae narrow to
rachis Thelypteris simulata S26 17 Stipe dark; profuse hairs on blade; 4+ pinnule pairs on
longest pinna Woodsia ilvensis S27 17' Stipe straw colored; blade glabrous Woodsia glabella S28 17" Stipe red - purple; 1-3 pinnule pairs on longest
pinna Woodsia alpina S29 18 Pinnae not cut to costa; basal pinna equilateral; fertile
pinnae twisted Dryopteris cristata S30 18' Blade fully bipinnate, at least 19 19 Basal pinna isosceles; fertile blade nearly planar Dryopteris clintoniana S31 19' Blade and pinnae triangular; scales dense; sori
marginal Dryopteris marginalis S32 19" Blade and pinnae ovate with acuminate tip, sori
medial Dryopteris goldiana S33 19"' short stipe <20% of frond; 2 kinds of scales, some
hairlike Dryopteris filix-mas S34 19"" Blade scaly; tiny stipe; dead fronds retained;
aromatic Dryopteris fragrans S35 (THRICE CUT) 20 Stipe with white hairs 21 20' " " scattered long narrow brown scales Athyrium filix-femina S36 20" " " coarse brown scales at base 22 ("Fancy" Wood Ferns) 21 >15"; scattered growth forming large patches Dennstaedtia punctilobula S37 21' <15"; clustered growth form; one location in CT Cheilanthes lanosa S60 22 Glandular hairs on indusium, costa, rachis Dryopteris intermedia S38 22' No or very few " " 23 23 Lowest inside pinnule twice width of opposite,
displaced Dryopteris campyloptera S39 23' " " just as wide as opposite, opposed Dryopteris carthusiana S40 ( WEIRD SHAPE) 24 No dominant rachis 25 24' One of these 35 25 Blade entire 26 25' Blade horseshoe shaped 27 25" Blade tripartite, horizontal 28 26 Sterile blade rounded Ophioglossum pusillum S41 26' Blade acute at apex Asplenium rhizophyllum S42 27 common; lax to somewhat arching Adiantum pedatum S43 27' uncommon, on serpentine; arching to erect Adiantum aleuticum S44 27" only in n. central Vermont (& Que.) serpentine Adiantum viridimontanum S45 28 Frond tall (>1') 29 28' Frond short (<1') 30 29 Grooved stipe; coarse pinnae; false indusia Pteridium aquilinum S46 29' Succulent stipe; dissected pinnae; fertile branch
above Botrychium virginianum S47 30 Stipe dark thin wiry 31 (Oak Ferns) 30' Stipe succulent, green; fronds evergreen 32 (Grape Ferns) 31 rachis not glandular Gymnocarpium dryopteris S48 31' rachis glandular; southern CT Gymnocarpium jessoense S49 32 Terminal pinnule largest 33 32' Terminal pinnule not largest 34 33 Pinnules ovate Botrychium oneidense S50 33' Pinnules linear or trowel-shaped Botrychium dissectum S51 34 Blade segments rounded, entire, planar Botrychium multifidum S52 34' Blade segments angular, dentate, concave; in VT Botrychium rugulosum S53 35 Tennis ball fuzz on underside of rock Trichomanes intricatum S54 35' Palmate pinnae on viny stem Lygodium palmatum S55 35" Stalked nearly oval pinnules 36 35"' Tiny, on rock 38 35"" <4", fertile leaf (always present) above sterile on
same stalk 39 (Moonworts) 36 Large, in swamp, fertile at end of blade Osmunda regalis S56 36' Small, on cliff, dark stipe, sori on underside 37 37 Larger; rachis with curly hairs Pellaea atropurporea S57 37' Smaller; rachis smooth Pellaea glabella S58 38 Dull bluish?; 2-4 pinnae pairs, twist out of plane Asplenium ruta-muraria S59 38' Pendant; 4-10 pinnae pairs, flat Asplenium montanum S60 38" Frond creeping; pinnae ascending, flat Cryptogramma stelleri S61 38"' Fuzzy with white hairs on stipe and rachis, 3x cut
(see #21) Cheilanthes lanosa S62 39 Sterile lowest pinna fan-veined 40 39' " " " pinnate-veined 41 40 usually tiny, shape variable Botrychium simplex S63 40' pinnae like overlapping fans Botrychium lunaria S64 40" pinnae a bit concave at outside, not overlapping Botrychium minganense S65 40"' pale green to whitish, fans assymetric Botrychium pallidum S66 41 Sterile blade equilateral, perpendicular Botrychium lanceolatum S67 41' " " isosceles, ascending Botrychium matricariifolium S68
Additional characters, by species #:
1 O.sensibilis Separate fertile frond (except mowed form) persists through winter
2 W.areolata Taller fertile fronds with narrowed pinnae persist (brown) through winter
3 P.hexagonoptera Basal pinnae larger, more dissected than second pair
5 P. acrostichoides Dark green, evergreen; pinnae eared; sori blanket underside distal pinnae
6 D.pycnocarpon Pinnae stalked
8 P.virginianum Notch absent between stipe and basal pinna; blade narrow
12 W.virginica Like Cinnamon, but fronds separate not clustered, pinnae narrow to rachis
13 D.acrostichoides Superficially resembles Lady. pinnules oblong, end abruptly as if snipped
14 M.struthiopteris Separate shorter fertile frond appears midsummer, persists in winter
15 P. braunii Profuse hairs
16 T.noveboracensis Hairs on blade undersurface and tangential to pinnules
17 O.cinnamomea Cinnamon spike, "hairy armpits", tiny hairs in nodes
18 O.claytoniana Interrupted blade, no " , no "
25 T.palustris Fronds not clustered; translucent laminae; pinnae twist individually out of plane
26 T.simulata Distinctive microscopic spherical glands on lower blade surface; hairs like #16
31 D. clintoniana Basal scales often have dark region at base, like ancestor D. goldiana
33 D. goldiana Shaggy dark basal scales
36 A.filix-femina Pinnules long and pointed; lax frond tips; comma-shaped sori
37 D.punctilobula Pinnule edges rounded, untoothed
38 D.intermedia Airier than D. carthusiana, pinnule sinuses open; frond fully evergreen
39 D.campyloptera Senesces early in autumn; fronds less erect than D. intermedia or carthusiana
40 D. carthusiana Senesces slowly in late autumn, basal basioscopic medial pinnule length 2 - 3 times width
41 O.pusillum No midvein, fertile frond separate
42 A.rhizophyllum New plants grow from blade tip; found mainly on limey rocks
43 A.pedatum Stipe dark and stiff, persistent
46 P.aquilinum Seldom fertile; sori under false indusium at edge of pinnule. In large colonies.
48 G.dryopteris Three-fingered fiddlehead like little "fist"
50 B.oneidense Blade stays green all winter
51 B.dissectum Blade generally changes from green to bronze in late autumn
52 B.multifidum Stout stipe; pinnules overlap
54 T.intricatum You'll need to lie on your back with your head under a rock, with a flashlight in one hand,
a lens in the other, and a sketch (see my website) in the other.
55 L.palmatum Vine can be very tall when climbing; smaller fertile pinnae toward end of vine
56 O.regalis Likes wet feet. Stipes initially purplish. Can be large and bushy.