Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.) Schott Christmas fern
Christmas ferns are common and rugged, found in woodlands and shady, rocky slopes, in both moist and dry settings. They are so named because they remain green through the winter. They are native to eastern North America. Identification: Like many ferns, fronds arise from a central root system, expanding outward in a funnel shape. Each stem (rachis) is very scaly, dark brown at the base, fading to green further up. Fronds are dark green and shiny. These ferns are mostly evergreen, looking flattened and bedraggled but otherwise intact in the winter. Fronds are 12-31" (30-80 cm) × 1¾-4½" (5-12 cm), lanceolate, usually tapering rapidly above the middle. Only the upper portion of fertile fronds bear spores—this portion is significantly smaller. Each frond contains 20-40 pinnae (leaflets). The pinnae, each about 1½" (4 cm) long, are also lanceolate, but with a distinctive bump on one side of the base, and fine teeth or spines along the leaf edges. The fiddleheads, called crosiers, are silvery and scaled. Online References:
Polystichum acrostichoides on www.psu.edu Polystichum acrostichoides on Wikipedia Polystichum acrostichoides on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site Polystichum acrostichoides at the Missouri Botanical Garden Polystichum acrostichoides on gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org References:
Sterile pinnae. · 9/15/2012 · Mt. Wachusett, Princeton, Massachusetts 7/5/2010 · Tarrywile Park and Mansion, Danbury, Connecticut 4/29/2010 · Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Chelmsford, Massachusetts 9/5/2020 · Hedgehog Mountain, Freeport, Maine 7/19/2012 · Red Pine Trail, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire 8/24/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts Crested form. · 1/19/2021 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts Sterile pinnae. · 9/15/2012 · Mt. Wachusett, Princeton, Massachusetts 5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire 9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Massachusetts 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts
Polystichum acrostichoides description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
7/5/2010 · Tarrywile Park and Mansion, Danbury, Connecticut 9/15/2010 · Red Dot Trail, Long Lake Park, Littleton, Massachusetts Incised form. · 9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 8/24/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts The smaller pinnae near the end of the frond are the fertile ones. · 9/15/2012 · Mt. Wachusett, Princeton, Massachusetts Incised form. · 9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 9/5/2020 · Hedgehog Mountain, Freeport, Maine 5/23/2016 · Wildflower Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire 9/5/2020 · Hedgehog Mountain, Freeport, Maine 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts 8/23/2009 · Tom and Susan’s, Pepperell, Massachusetts Range: Zones 3-9:
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