Other common names:
Bulblet Bladder Fern, Bulblet Cystopteris Other scientific names: Felix bulbifera, Polypodium bulbiferum French names:
Cystoptère bulbifère Family: Wood Fern Family (Dryopteridaceae) Distinctive features:
Bulblets along the underside of the fronds. No other species has these. Similar species: • Fragile Fern (Cystopteris fragilis) - no bulblets. Fronds: Thrice divided Height:
Up to 45 cm (17 in) Habitat: Forests; Moist woods. Native/Non-native:
Native Status:
Common.
Notes:
This is a very easy fern to identify if the bulblets are present on the underside of the fronds. It's the only fern to have these.
Origin and Meaning of Names:
Scientific Name: bulbifera: bearing bulbs Photographs:
81 photographs available, of which 12 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.
Range Map is at the bottom of the page
Bulblets on the underside of a Bulblet Fern frond. For a closeup of these see the next photo.
A closeup view of some bulblets on the underside of a frond.
New ferns will grow from these when they drop off the plant and lay on the ground.
Another one.
There are also these dots on the underside of the fronds.
View of the top of a leaflet.
Underside of a leaflet.
Bulblet Ferns in the woods.
Note the leaflets are fairly close together, usually.
Sometimes they have a more spread-out growth aspect, as shown here.
A "grove" of Bulblet Ferns.
Nice pic of Bulblet Ferns growing against a tree trunk.
PLEASE NOTE: A coloured Province or State means this species occurs somewhere in that Province/State.
The entire Province/State is coloured, regardless of where in that Province/State it occurs.
(Range map provided courtesy of the USDA website
and is displayed here in accordance with their
Policies)
