Osmunda claytoniana L.
Interrupted fern
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division Pteridophyta Ferns
Class Filicopsida “Leptosporangiate” (has to do with how their spores form) ferns—includes most ferns
Order Polypodiales Polypod ferns
Family Osmundaceae
Genus Osmunda
Species claytoniana
About plant names...
Interrupted? How can a fern be interrupted? The answer seems a little silly to me: brown
fertile leaflets "interrupt" the green sterile leaflets on larger fronds. These ferns are natives
of eastern Asia and North America.
Identification: Fern fronds are up to 3′ (90 cm) long
and 8″ (20 cm) wide.
Spore-bearing leaflets are brown, appearing in the middle of the sterile green
fronds, the most obvious identifying characteristic. The leaf stalk has a round cross-section.
Interrupted fern, Osmunda claytoniana, in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, by Circeus, 7/30/2005.
Online References:
The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
KgNaturePhotography.com
Wikipedia
References:
Cobb, Boughton, Farnsworth, Elizabeth & Lowe, Cheryl, Peterson Field Guides: Ferns of Northeastern and Central North America , Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005 , p. 174
5/11/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 11″ (17 × 26 cm)
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts
5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 1½′ (34 × 52 cm)
5/25/2023 · Maquoit Bay Conservation Land, Brunswick, Maine
9/13/2020 · Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm)
5/11/2013 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 17″ (28 × 42 cm)
5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
5/18/2021 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)
5/18/2012 · Mine Falls Park, Nashua, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm)
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)
9/13/2020 · Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm)
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
6/20/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 3 × 5″ (8.4 × 12 cm)
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm)
8/22/2020 · Crossbill Trail, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)
Osmunda claytoniana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Jul 2023.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
Once the spore-bearing fertile portions are no longer needed, they wither and disappear, leaving the “interruption.” · 6/17/2016 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State, Ashby, Massachusetts
5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
5/20/2023 · Knight’s Pond Preserve, Cumberland, Maine
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine
8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm)
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (52 × 34 cm)
5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm)
6/20/2021 · Maquoit Bay Preserve, Brunswick, Maine · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm)
5/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 9″ (16 × 23 cm)
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
6/12/2023 · Viles Arboretum, Augusta, Maine
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 17″ (29 × 44 cm)
5/13/2012 · Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest, Lowell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 14″ (23 × 35 cm)
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine
5/18/2021 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 7 × 10″ (16 × 25 cm)
Range: Zones 3-8:
About this map...
Home   
Species