Fabulous Ferns - Notes

1/6/2013

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Fabulous Ferns
C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake
CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve
Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants February 5 & 8, 2011
Project SOUND – 2011 (our 7th year)
© Project SOUND © Project SOUND

What do you picture when you think of ferns?

http://www.cityprojectca.org/blog/archives/835

Fern Dell at Griffith Park

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The move from water to land was difficult – even
Ferns go back a long ways…> 360 MYA though conditions were a lot more tropical
(humid/watery) back then
 Need:
 a rigid structural system
for support
 anchors to the ground
(plants) or ways to move
around
 a vascular system to
transport water and
nutrients
http://taggart.glg.msu.edu/isb200/cswamp.jpg

Ferns had their heyday in the Carboniferous Period (360- All this takes a long time and
300 MYA) - 100 MY before the dinosaurs the ability to change – a lot
http://www.kgg.org.uk/alethopteris4.jpg © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
http://cmex.ihmc.us/VikingCD/Puzzle/Advance2.GIF

Ferns were among the first plants with a
vascular system & lignin support system
They also evolved a more sophisticated
means of reproduction – alteration of
generations (e.g. ‘sex’)

http://media.photobucket.com/image/plant%20evolution%20tree/kofh/Genesis/plantkingdom.jpg © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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All higher organisms So ferns – like all other higher
(including ferns & humans) plants – do have sex
have alternation of
generations
 In sexual reproduction, only ½ of a
parent’s chromosomes are passed
on to the egg/sperm/spore (they
are the (n) generation)

 When fertilization occurs the new
embryo (and the resulting adult)
have the full complement of
chromosomes (2n generation)

 Sexual reproduction allows a
species to recombine genetic
traits
© Project SOUND
It’s just not quite as efficient - and it requires water © Project SOUND

Ferns now make up only a fraction of the
How ferns and amphibians are alike living plants – in part due to less efficient sex

 If there's no water, there's no fertilization and no fern... This is a
real problem for ferns, in the same way that amphibians (frogs,
salamanders, etc.) have the problem that to reproduce they must
return to water.
 In both cases, that of the fern and that of the amphibians, this
necessity for having water during sexual reproduction is a
reflection of the organism-types primitive nature.
 Both ferns and amphibians evolved early in the history of land life
on Earth, and both kinds of organism never did overcome their need
to have water handy before they could reproduce. In contrast,
later-day reptiles (and humans) and later-day flowering plants can
indeed enjoy sexual reproduction without having water handy.

http://crescentok.com/staff/jaskew/ISR/botzo/plants.gif


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What are the ferns? (summary)
The American Fern Society
 Ferns are vascular plants differing from
mosses by having true leaves.  Over 100 years old – established in 1892

 They differ from seed plants  > 900 members worldwide (one of the largest
(gymnosperms and angiosperms) in their international fern clubs in the world.
mode of reproduction—lacking flowers
and seeds.  Objective: fostering interest in ferns and fern allies.
 Like all other vascular plants, they have  Wide range of publications & activities – good way to
a life cycle referred to as alternation of
learn more about wild ferns from experts and meet
generations, characterized by a diploid
sporophytic and a haploid gametophytic other people with a similar passion for ferns.
phase.
 Web site - http://www.amerfernsoc.org/ is
 Unlike the gymnosperms and designed to expand on this exchange of information
angiosperms, the ferns' gametophyte is with amateurs and professionals around the world.
a free-living organism.
http://www.perspective.com/nature/plantae/ferns.html © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Taxonomy of the Ferns – in a state of change The living fern-allies can be divided into four
classes:  Psilotopsida:
 ?Only living member Psilotum (whisk ferns)
 Probably the most primitive vascular plant
still in existence - may be directly related
to the first vascular plants on land.

 Lycopodiopsida:
 Represented by the Selaginellia
(Spikemosses), Lycopodium (clubmosses),
and the Isoetes (Quillworts).

 Equisetopsida:
 Represented today by only one genus,
Equisetum (Horsetails).
http://www.amerfernsoc.org/


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The living fern-allies can be divided into Selected Families/Genera used in gardens
four classes:  Family Adiantaceae
 Genus Adiantum (Maidenhair Ferns)
 Genus Cheilanthes (Lipferns)
 Polypodiopsida (Pteropsida)  Family Blechnaceae
 Genus Woodwardia (Chain-ferns)
 The true ferns  Family Dennstaedtiaceae
 Genus Dennstaedtia (Hay-scented fern)
 By far the most numerous of
 Genus Pteridium (Bracken)
all of the fern-allies.
 Family Dryopteridaceae
 Nine sub-classes (Families),  Genus Cystopteris (Fragile Fern)
about 250-300 genera and  Genus Dryopteris (Wood Ferns)
 Genus Matteuccia (Ostrich Fern)
over 12,000 different species
 Genus Onoclea (Sensitive Fern)
alive today.
 Genus Polystichum (Sword Ferns)
 Genus Woodsia (Woodsias)
 Family Polypodiaceae
 Genus Polypodium (Polypodies)
 Family Thelypteridaceae
 Genus Thelypteris (Beech Fern)

Selected Families/Genera used in gardens The Sword Ferns - genus Polystichum

 Family Dryopteridaceae – Woodfern Family
 Genus Cystopteris (Fragile Fern)
 Genus Dryopteris (Wood Ferns)
 Genus Matteuccia (Ostrich Fern)
 Genus Onoclea (Sensitive Fern)
 Genus Polystichum (Sword Ferns)
 Genus Woodsia (Woodsias) http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Auto=60

Western Sword Fern

 135-160 species worldwide – mostly temperate regions
 Usually live in moist places
 Have typical fern structure/anatomy

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Parts of a typical fern * Western Sword Fern – Polystichum munitum

http://www.davidlnelson.md/Cazadero/Ferns.htm

 Leaf = frond
 Midrib of leaf = rachis
 Petiole = stalk, stipe
 Leaflets = pinna
 Stem/stalk (rootstalk) = rhizome (like rhizome of higher plants)
 Roots = roots
http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/pol_mun.html

* Western Sword Fern – Polystichum munitum Fern pinna may be divided
 Western N. America, primarily coastal
states, from AK to Baja
into pinnules or lobes
 In CA, almost always below 2500 ft.

 Favored habitat: the understory of moist
 1 times pinnate – simple
coniferous forests at low elevations – [Sword Fern]
locally, San Gabriel mtns.
 2 times pinnate – more
 It grows best in a well-drained acidic soil
complex [Wood Fern]
of rich humus and small stones.
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200004619

 3 or 4 times pinnate –
complex (look lacy)
[Maidenhair & Lipfern]

http://www.backyardnature.net/n/x/sword-fn.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystichum_munitum
http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall00Projects/swordfern.html

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Western Sword Fern – corresponds to  A sorus (pl. sori) - a cluster of sporangia
most people’s notion of a fern The fern sorus (structures producing/containing spores)

 Form yellow/brownish mass on the edge or
 Size: underside of a fertile frond.
 3-6 ft tall
 spreading to 3-6 ft wide  In some species, sori are protected by a
scale or film of tissue called the indusium,
 Growth form: which forms an umbrella-like cover.
 Upright growth habit  As the sporongia mature, the indusium
 Height depends on light – taller in shrivels. The sporangia then burst and
dense shade release the spores.
 Evergreen leaves in clumps of 100
or so – moderate spread rate  The shape, arrangement, and location of
the sori are often valuable clues in the
 Long-lived
identification of fern taxa.
 Foliage:  May be circular or linear.
 Arranged in rows or randomly
 Medium to dark green
 Location may be marginal or set away from
 Single pinnate ( 1 times pinnate) the margin on the frond lamina.
with alternating pinna
 Fronds unroll, forming fiddleheads
© 2008 Matt Below © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/pcmb/osu_pcmb/pcmb_lab_resources/images/pcmb300/cfern2/reproduction3.jpg

Reproduction by spores Sword Ferns are  Soils:
 Texture: well-drained loams are
Ex: Sword Ferns forest floor plants best
 pH: acidic (4.0 – 7.0)
 Likes lots of humus
 Sword fern sori occur on the undersides
of normal-sized pinnae more generally  Light:
distributed along the frond.  Part shade to quite dark full
shade
 Each round sorus is composed of dozens
http://www.backyardnature.net/n/x/sword-fn.htm of spherical items. Those are not spores,  Water:
but rather stalked, baglike sporangia filled
 Winter: plenty
with several spores.
 Summer: moist soils – Zone 3
 When the sporangia are ripe they burst,
release the spores, and the wind carries  Fertilizer:
the spores to new locations  ½ strength fertilizer fine
 Organic mulch – leaf litter is
 If environmental conditions are just right,
optimal
they germinate to form fern prothalli, from
which eventually new ferns will emerge.  Other: difficult in very hot
gardens
© 2008 Matt Below
© 2008 Keir Morse © Project SOUND © Project SOUND
http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya

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Sword Ferns – woodsy Sword Ferns -
 Brightens very shady places Victorian
 Under dense evergreens (pines, etc)
 At back or shaded beds – nice
 In a decorative pot
background color  In a wall or fern grotto
 On wet, mossy banks  In a rocky fernery
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PNQkvKYUhfgwxJ9NW0YE_A

Gerald and Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences

http://www.paghat.com/swordfern.html

http://www.rainyside.com/features/plant_gallery/nativeplants/Polystichum_munitum.html

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/polystichum-munitum

Family Dryopteridaceae (Woodfern Family) Coastal Wood Fern – Dryopteris arguta
 Genus Dryopteris (Wood Ferns)
 Wood ferns, male ferns, and buckler
ferns
 ~250 species; temperate Northern
Hemisphere (highest species
diversity in eastern Asia).
 Hybridization common within this
group; many species formed by
hybridization.
J. William Thompson  Dryopteris species are used as food
plants by the larvae of some
Lepidoptera species.

J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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Coastal Wood Fern – Dryopteris arguta Coastal Wood Fern is adaptable
 Most commonly near coast & in coastal Coastal forests, WA state In the Santa Monica Mtns
ravines from British Columbia to central
CA – tho’ south to Baja, Sierra foothills

 Locally on Catalina & San Clemente Isl,
Santa Monica & San Gabriel Mtns.

 N. slopes/shady creeks: oak woodland,
chaparral, coastal sage scrub up to 5000’ © Ed Alverson


© 2004 Brent Miller
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/dryopteris-arguta
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?19,27,28 http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/species/Dryopteris_arguta.htm

Coastal Wood Fern: a medium-size fern Sori are showy
 Size:
 2-3 ft tall (largest in rainforests)
 Sporulates: usually late
 2-3 ft wide
spring/early summer in S. CA
 Growth form:
 Sori:
 Moderately spreading clump
 Rounded – look like a bagel
 Fronds usually upright/fairly straight prior to maturity
Charles Webber © California Academy of Sciences

 Foliage:  Located in 2 parallel rows
midway between midvein
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/dryopteris-arguta

Medium to dark green; prom. scales
http://plants.montara.com/ListPages/FamPages/Dryopterida.html

and margin of the segment
 2 times pinnate - moderately complex
structure  Spores:
 Foliage soft - not stiff
 Quite variable – some types appear  Vegetative reproduction:
ruffled or lacy (leaflets turned at an
angle  Via rhizomes
 Drought-deciduous (S. CA Oak  Moderate spreading
http://hardyfernlibrary.com/f
erns/listSpecies.cfm?Auto=
Woodlands)
3
© Project SOUND © 2003 Keir Morse © Project SOUND
http://www.answers.com/topic/dudleya

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 Soils:
Sword Ferns: adaptable  Texture: most Wood Ferns - lovely
 pH: slightly acidic (4.0-7.0) – under
evergreens/oaks would be fine  Ferns always look nice in large
containers
 Light:  Great for shady slopes/banks –
 Part-shade to full shade even growing in retaining walls
 This is truly a forest under-story  Give a woodsy or old-fashioned
fern; good even under dense (Victorian) look to any garden
trees  In food/medicinal garden
 Water:
 Winter: like plenty
 Summer: quite adaptable
 Zone 2-3 or 3 – will stay green
 Zone 1-2 or 2 – drought
deciduous

 Fertilizer: ½ strength or none
Mark W. Skinner @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
 Other: likes a good leaf mulch layer © 2003 Michael Charters

© Project SOUND http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=88976
© Project SOUND

Human uses of ferns Take your cues from
Mother Nature
 As source of fiber
 North slope, in shade of oaks,
 For mats, bedding evergreens, Bay, even Toyon

 For religious/spiritual  With elderberries, snowberries,
purposes © 2004 Brent Miller yarrow, goldenrods

 As food: young fronds –
usually cooked (note: some
http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=88976

mutagenic/carcinogenic
compounds
 As a source of medicines:

http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Dryopteris-arguta/

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Giant Chain Fern – Woodwardia fimbriata
Genus Woodwardia – the Chain Ferns


 Large ferns of temperate climates
 in the family Blechnaceae
W. Carl Taylor @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Giant Chain Fern – Woodwardia fimbriata Remarkable
consistent looking
 Primarily found in CA Floristic
Province (W. of Sierras) except the
Great central Valley)

 Occasional (?relict) populations
elsewhere from WA to Baja

 Locally in Santa Monica and San http://www.researchlearningcenter.com/bloom/species/Woodwardia_fimbriata.htm

Gabriel Mtns. Santa Monica Mountains

 Many plant communities but mostly in
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.as
px?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233501358

redwood, mixed conifer & mixed
conifer-hardwood forests < 5000 ft

 Always where moisture is present,
such as stream banks or springs

 Introduced into cultivation in http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Woodwardia_fimbriata
California by Theodore Payne.
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?11,14,15

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The name says it all…Giant Chain Fern Sori give the plant its
 Size: common name
 4-8 ft tall (usually 4-6 ft)
 4-5 ft wide
 Sori mature: late spring
 Growth form: summer
 Upright to vase-shaped
clump  Sori:
 Moderate spread rate  Elongated
 In double ‘chains’ along the
 Foliage: pinna midrib
 Medium to dark green –  Visible from both surfaces
evergreen of pinna
 Petioles brown at base
 Twice-pinnate leaves – large
and somewhat coarse-looking
 Fronds unfurl as fiddleneck

 Rhizomes: stout © J. William Thompson

http://www.coestatepark.com/woodwardia_fimbriata_c
oe.htm

Woodwardia : well-suited to some gardens Giant Chair Fern: a garden favorite
 Soils:
 From California Native Plants,
 Texture: most
Theodore Payne's 1941 catalog:
 pH: acidic (4.0-7.0) – ? amend

 Light: "The most useful of the native
 Part-shade to full shade ferns, having long graceful
 Good for dappled shade or N-facing fronds of a vivid shade of light
exposures green, often 4 to 5 feet in length.
Creates a wonderful effect on a
 Water: shady bank or under trees, and
 Young plants: moist very striking when planted
 Winter: supplement in drought against a wall or building in a
winters shady spot. Very hardy and
 Summer: Zone 3 in part-shade; easy to grow. Gallon cans, 50c;
tolerates Zone 2 or 2-3 in shade 5 gallon cans, $1.50."
Chain Ferns like an organic  Fertilizer: ½ OK
mulch – like in their forest
homes © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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 As an attractive pot plant Victorian ‘Pteridomania’
 Under pines and other evergreen
trees – evokes the feeling of a
woodland  Pteridomania or Fern-
 In other shady places – near Fever was a craze for
ponds or water features ferns. Victorian
decorative arts
 As a big, dramatic accent plant presented the fern
 In Jurassic Park motif in pottery, glass,
metal, textiles, wood,
printed paper, and
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crypto/msg112238042369.html

sculpture, with ferns
"appearing on
everything from
christening presents to
gravestones and
memorials."

http://www.georgeglazer.com/prints/nathist/botanical/fern.html

© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

Victorian ‘Pteridomania’ (Fern Mania)
 The interest in ferns began in
To learn more
the late 1830s when the British
countryside attracted increasing
numbers of amateur and
professional botanists (male and
female).
 People of many different social
backgrounds sought out the
species and varieties described
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pteridomania
in the fern identification books
to press the fronds in albums or
to collect fern plants to grow in
their gardens or homes.
 Some ferns were, unfortunately,
collected out of existence

Wardian Case © Project SOUND © Project SOUND

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Caring for the larger Many people think that all ferns require lots
ferns of water…..
 Location is key to success: pay
particular attention to light
and water requirements

 Well-placed ferns are pretty
easy
http://noseeds.blogspot.com/2010/05/woodwardia-fimbriata.html

 Cut off oldest (dead or nearly
so) fronds at time new ones
are emerging

 No need to cut all fronds back
to the ground in winter – an old http://www.researchlearningcenter.org/bloom/species/Dryopteris_arguta.htm

technique that’s better
forgotten

http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=88976

Family Adiantaceae (Pteridaceae)
Common Maidenhair Fern – Adiantum capillus-veneris
 Creeping or erect rhizomes
 Mostly terrestrial or epipetric (growing on rock)
 Fronds usually compound; linear sori - typically on the margins -
protected by a false indusium formed from the reflexed margin
of the leaf.

 Adiantoid ferns;
 Adiantum, the maidenhair ferns
 Cheilanthoid ferns;
 Argyrochosma
 Aspidotis the lace ferns
 Astrolepis
 Cheilanthes, the lip ferns
 Notholaena, the cloak ferns
 Pellaea, the cliff brakes
 Pteridoid ferns;
 Pteris, the brakes © 2009 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy


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The Maidenhair Ferns  ~ 200 species of ferns in the family
Pteridaceae (though some researchers place it
Common Maidenhair Fern – Adiantum capillus-veneris genus Adiantum in its own family, Adiantaceae)

 Name comes from Greek, meaning "not
 Grows in warmer-winter wetting", referring to the fronds' ability to
shed water without becoming wet.
places throughout much of
The highest species diversity is in the Andes
the Americas, Eurasia & 
in South America. Fairly high diversity also
Africa occurs in eastern Asia, with nearly 40 species
in China.
 In CA, many disjoint areas  Distinctive in appearance, with dark, often
including Catalina Island black stipes and rachises, and bright green,
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200003518 often delicately-cut leaf tissue.
 ?? Native or naturalized  The sori are borne submarginally, and are
covered by reflexed flaps of leaf tissue which
 In CA, uncommon (or locally resemble indusia.

common). Shaded, rocky or  Generally prefer humus-rich, moist, well-
moist banks, exposed sites drained sites. Many species are especially
known for growing on rock walls around
or not USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS © 2001 Larry Blakely
waterfalls and water seepage areas.
Many species common in horticultural
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Adiantum+capillus-veneris
© Project SOUND trade for a long time © Project SOUND

Common Maidenhair – sweet & delicate Sora are unusual
 Size:
 1-2 ft tall (may be < 1 ft)  Sori marginal.
 1-3 ft wide

 Growth form:  There is a flap of tissue known
 Open, mounded habit as an indusium covering the
 Slow-growing – remains clumped sporangia (where spores are
located).
 Evergreen or summer dormant

 Foliage:  Indusia-like membranaceous
 Light/bright green flaps, formed from the
 Dark rachis many-branched reflexed margins of the frond,
 Pinnae small, very wide (fan- cover the sora
shaped to round)
 Margins incised - ruffled-look
 Refined and delicate
appearance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiantum_capillus-veneris
© Project SOUND http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Auto=156 © Project SOUND
© 2009 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy

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Easy to grow in the  Soils: Maidenhair Fern:
 Texture: most – fine in sandy pot plant & more
right place
 pH: any local (4.0-8.0)
 Near a pond or other water
 Light: feature
 Part-shade to full shade –  As a groundcover under
dappled shade favored trees
 No full sun, but bright shade is  As a pretty, evergreen
great © 2009 Dr. Amadej Trnkoczy accent plant
 Water:  Pretty texture & color in
 Winter: adequate shady mixed beds
 Summer: best with regular
water (2-3 or 3); Zone 2 is fine
but will likely die back

 Fertilizer: ½ strenght up to once
a month – particularly if grown in
container

© 2004 James M. Andre
 Other: likes leaf mulch © 2009 Julie Kierstead Nelson
http://www.jaycjayc.com/adiantum-capillus-veneris-maidenhairfern/

Cultivar ‘Banksianum’ Maidenhair (and other) ferns as medicine
 Attractive color  Maidenhair fern has a long history of
medicinal use – still used today
 Larger pinnae
 A tea/syrup used for coughs, throat
 Very ruffled appearance afflictions and bronchitis.
– super showy
 Externally, it is used as a poultice on snake
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=629  Available at the Grow bites, bee stings etc.
Native (RSABG) nursery
in Westwood &  In Brazilian herbal medicine today, frond/
leaf are employed for hair loss, coughs,
Theodore Payne
bronchitis, laryngitis/throat dryness, and
Foundation http://www.milagroherbs.com/images/hairsupportpills to improve appetite and digestion,
stimulate renal function, regulate
.jpg

To learn more about plant menstruation, and facilitate childbirth.
compound come to ‘Talking
Plants; next Sat. (2/12 –  Has both anti-bacterial & anti-viral
10:00 a.m.) (selective) properties

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Coville’s Lipfern – Cheilanthes covillei
Coville’s Lipfern – Cheilanthes covillei
 Southwestern U.S.
into Baja
 Locally in Santa
Monica & San Gabriel
Mtns
 Rocky slopes, cliffs,
and ledges, 1500'-
9000‘
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flor
a_id=1&taxon_id=233500349

 Chaparral, yellow pine
forest, pinyon-juniper
woodland, deserts

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?92,106,109

The Lipferns – genus Coville’s Lipfern – rather unique
Cheilanthes
 Size:
 ~ 150 species – about 1/2  ~ 1 ft tall

in Mexico & SW U.S.  ~ 1 ft wide

 Growth form:
 10 species endemic to CA
 Upright fronds from a short
 Small ferns of dry places rhizome
 Drought-deciduous
 Have hairs of scales on  Foliage:
frond underside –  Medium green
adaptation to hot, dry  Up to 4-pinnate – so, very sub-
conditions divided
 Have a bumpy, cobbled appearance
 Very drought tolerant – – quite unusual & decorative
curl up and go dormant

17

Fabulous Ferns - Notes

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Fabulous Ferns - Notes