3 Royal Fern Family Differentiations + 1 Ostrich Fern

There are 4 or 5 varieties of Osmunda regalis spread across nearly every continent, but only var. spectabilis is recognized in North America.

Osmunda regalis (Royal Fern)	Osmunda claytoniana (Interrupted Fern)	Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (Cinnamon Fern)	Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)
Fiddlehead: Thick white wooly	Fiddlehead: Light white wooly	Fiddlehead: Light brown wooly	Fiddlehead: No wool.
Leaves: Twice compound. Bush-like. Most distinctive of the all four.	Leaves: Generally elliptic to oblong in outline, tapering at both ends. FORKED lateral veins on underside.	Leaves: Generally lance-shaped in outline, widest below the middle and gradually tapering at the tip end. FORKED lateral veins on underside. Persistent tuft of hair on the underside of the leaf at main stem and leaflet mid-nerve.	Leaves: Generally elliptic to oblong in outline, tapering at both ends. BUT veins are STRAIGHT, not forked.
Spores Capsules turn rusty colored. Capsules attached to a stalk at the tip of a leaf. Hence "Crown"/"Royal".	Spores Capsules turn dark brown / near black colored. Capsules attached to a stalk at the middle of a leaf. Hence "Interrupted".	Spores Capsules turn cinnamon colored. Fertile leaf is hairy.	Spores Spores in long tube "pods". Most distinctive of the four.

Posted on June 29, 2023 02:52 AM by

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