MASSACHUSETTS FERN KEY REVISED

1 Normal fern shape (rachis, pinnae) 2

1' looks weird 23

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 P. 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, dark; usually on rock 8 (Spleenwort)

7 Blade triangular, pinnae pointed (mostly) Polypodium appalachianum S7

7' " bitapering " rounded " P. virginianum S8

8 Pinnae long narrow thumbed Asplenium platyneuron S9

8' " roundish A. trichomanes S10

(twice cut)

9 Very short stipe, tiny basal pinnae 10

9' Stipe dark, smooth, bulbous at base Woodwardia virginica S11

9'' Stipe green with long white hairs Deparia acrostichoides S12

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 S13

10' " middle; scales on rachis Polystichum braunii S14

10" " " ; no " Thelypteris noveboracensis S15

11 Blade, pinna apex acute Osmunda cinnamomea S16

11' blunt O. claytoniana S17

12 Blade glabrous; usually on rocks 13 (Fragile Ferns)

12' Hairs on blade 14

13 Short sharp sessile pinules Cystopteris fragilis S18

13' Tall rounded basal pinules constrict to base Cystopteris tenuis S19

14 White glandular hairs; bulblets; blade narrow, to 3' long Cystopteris bulbifera S20

14' White glandular hairs; sometimes nearly thrice cut Woodsia obtusa S21

14" Brown hairs on costa, sessile glands; pinnules not cut 15 (Thelypteris)

15 Sterile veins forked, blade widest at base Thelypteris palustris S22

15' not not 16

16 Pinnae taper extremely to tiny stipe Thelypteris noveboracensis S23

16' Semitapered toward stipe; lower pinnae narrow to rachis T. simulata S24

17 Stipe dark; profuse hairs on blade Woodsia ilvensis S25

17' Stipe straw colored; blade glabrous Woodsia glabella S26

18 Pinnae not cut to costa; basal pinna equilateral; fertile pinnae twisted Dryopteris cristata S27

18' Blade fully bipinnate, at least 19

19 Basal pinna isosceles; fertile blade nearly planar D. clintoniana S28

19' Blade and pinnae triangular; scales dense; sori marginal Dryopteris marginalis S29

19" Blade and pinnae ovate with acuminate tip, sori medial D. goldiana S30

(thrice cut)

20 Stipe with white hairs Dennstaedtia punctilobula S31

20' " " scattered long narrow brown scales Athyrium filix-femina S32

20'' " " coarse brown scales at base 21 ("Fancy" Wood Ferns)

21 Glandular hairs on indusium, costa, rachis Dryopteris intermedia S33

21' No or very few " " 22

22 Lowest inside pinnule twice width of opposite, displaced Dryopteris campyloptera S34

22' " " just as wide as opposite, opposed D. carthusiana S35

(weird shape)

23 No dominant rachis 24

23' One of these 30

24 Blade entire 25

24' Blade horseshoe shaped Adiantum pedatum S36

24" Blade tripartite, horizontal 26

25 Sterile blade rounded Ophioglossum pusillum S37

25' Blade acute at apex Asplenium rhizophyllum S38

26 Frond short (<1') 27

26' Frond tall (>1') 35

27 Stipe dark thin wiry Gymnocarpium dryopteris S39

27' Stipe succulent, green 28 (Grape Ferns)

28 Terminal pinnule not largest Botrychium multifidum S40

28' Terminal pinnule largest 29

29 Pinnules ovate Botrychium oneidense S41

29' Pinnules linear or trowel-shaped B. dissectum S42

30 Tennis ball fuzz on underside of rock Trichomanes intricatum S43

30' Palmate pinnae on viny stem Lygodium palmatum S44

30" Stalked nearly oval pinnules 31

30'" Tiny, on rock 32

30''" Fertile leaf above sterile on same stalk 33 (Moonworts)

31 Large, in swamp, fertile at end of blade Osmunda regalis S45

31' Small, on cliff, dark stipe, sori on underside Pellaea atropurporea S46

32 Dull bluish?; 2-4 pinnae pairs, twist out of plane Asplenium ruta-muraria S47

32' Pendant; 4-10 pinnae pairs, flat Asplenium montanum S48

32" Frond creeping; pinnae ascending, flat Cryptogramma stelleri S49

33 Sterile lowest pinna fan-veined Botrychium simplex S50

33' " " " pinnate-veined 34

34 Sterile blade equilateral, perpendicular B. lanceolatum S51

34' " " isosceles, ascending B. matricariifolium S52

35 Succulent stipe; dissected pinnae; fertile branch above Botrychium virginianum S53

35' Grooved stipe; coarse pinnae; false indusia Pteridium aquilinum S54

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

11 W.virginica Like Cinnamon, but fronds separate not clustered, pinnae narrow to rachis

12 D.acrostichoides Superficially resembles Lady. pinnules oblong, end abruptly as if snipped

13 M.struthiopteris Separate shorter fertile frond appears midsummer, persists in winter

14 P. braunii Profuse hairs

16 O.cinnamomea Cinnamon spike, "hairy armpits", tiny hairs in nodes

17 O.claytoniana Interrupted blade, no " , no "

22 T.palustris Fronds not clustered; translucent laminae; pinnae twist individually out of plane

23 T.noveboracensis Hairs on blade undersurface and tangential to pinnules

24 T.simulata Distinctive microscopic spherical glands on lower blade surface; hairs like #35

28 D. clintoniana Basal scales often have dark region at base, like ancestor D. goldiana

30 D. goldiana Shaggy dark basal scales

31 D.punctilobula Pinnule edges rounded, untoothed

32 A.filix-femina Pinnules long and pointed; lax frond tips; comma-shaped sori

33 D.intermedia Airier than D. carthusiana, pinnule sinuses open; frond fully evergreen

34 D.campyloptera Senesces early in autumn; fronds less erect than D. intermedia or carthusiana

36 A.pedatum Stipe dark and stiff, persistent

37 O.pusillum No midvein, fertile frond separate

38 A.rhizophyllum New plants grow from blade tip; found mainly on limey rocks

39 G.dryopteris Three-fingered fiddlehead like little "fist"

40 B.multifidum Stout stipe; pinnules overlap

41 B.oneidense Blade stays green all winter

42 B.dissectum Blade generally changes from green to bronze in late autumn

43 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.

44 L.palmatum Vine can be very tall when climbing; smaller fertile pinnae toward end of vine

45 O.regalis Likes wet feet. Stipes initially purplish. Can be large and bushy.

53 D. carthusiana Senesces slowly in late autumn, basal basioscopic medial pinnule length 2 or 3 times width

54 P.aquilinum Seldom fertile; sori under false indusium at edge of pinnule. In large colonies.

Don Lubin don@nefern.info or donlubin@comcast.net 617-254-8464