Other common names:
Marginal Wood Fern Other scientific names: Aspidium marginale, Polypodium marginale, Thelypteris marginalis French names:
Dryoptère à sores marginaux Family: Wood Fern Family (Dryopteridaceae) Similar species: •
Other Wood Ferns • Long Beech Fern (Phegopteris connectilis) - also has sori along the edges of the leaflets, but has an entirely different overall shape. • Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) • Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) Fronds: Twice divided Native/Non-native:
Native Status:
Somewhat common.
Photographs:
101 photographs available, of which 14 are featured on this page. SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOGRAPHS.
Here's how this fern gets its name - the sori are arranged along the margins of the leaflets (on the underside).
A different plant, with fewer sori. Note that "margins" includes the places where the margin goes inward to a notch.
Closeup view of developing sori (early July).
Sori in early November.
A Marginal Shield Fern in the woods.
Typical frond.
A herbarium specimen.
(Royal Botanical Gardens herbarium, Burlington, Ontario).
The tip of the frond.
Base of the plant. Note the stems (stalks) are scaly, and that all the fronds arise from one point.
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