Flora of North America species comparison

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Dryopteris celsa

Dryopteris filix-mas

log fern

dryoptère fougère mâle, male fern, male wood fern
Leaves

monomorphic, dying back in winter, 65–120 × 15–30 cm.

monomorphic, dying back in winter, 28–120 × 10–30 cm.
Petiole

1/3 length of leaf, scaly at least at base;

scales scattered, dark brown or tan with dark central stripe.

less than 1/4 length of leaf, scaly at least at base;

scales scattered, brown, of 2 distinct kinds, 1 broad, 1 hairlike (only this species has 2 distinct forms of scales without intermediates).
Blade

green, ovate-lanceolate, gradually tapering to tip, pinnate-pinnatifid, herbaceous, not glandular.

green, ovate-lanceolate, pinnate-pinnatifid to 2-pinnate at base, firm but not leathery, not glandular.
Pinnae

± in plane of blade, lanceolate-ovate;

basal pinnae linear-oblong, much reduced, basal pinnules longer than adjacent pinnules, basal basiscopic pinnule and basal acroscopic pinnule equal;

pinnule margins crenately toothed.

± in plane of blade, lanceolate;

basal pinnae ovate-lanceolate, much reduced, basal pinnules or segments ± same length as adjacent pinnules, basal basiscopic pinnule and basal acroscopic pinnule equal;

pinnule margins serrate to lobed.
Indusia

lacking glands.

lacking glands.
Sori

midway between midvein and margin of segments.

midway between midvein and margin of segments.
2n

= 164.

= 164.

Dryopteris celsa

Dryopteris filix-mas
Habitat Seepage slopes, hammocks and logs in swamps, mostly on the Piedmont and Coastal Plain Dense woods and talus slopes on limestone (ne North America), open woods among boulders and talus of granite or igneous rock (Rocky Mountains)
Elevation 50–800 m (200–2600 ft) 200–2500 m (700–8200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; GA; IL; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; NC; NJ; NY; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MI; MT; NM; NV; OK; OR; TX; UT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; NF; NS; ON; QC; SK; Greenland; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Dryopteris celsa is a fertile allotetraploid derived from hybridization between D. goldieana and D. ludoviciana. Dryopteris celsa hybridizes with six species; hybrids can usually be identified by the dark-striped scales.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The taxonomy of Dryopteris filix-mas is not well understood. In North America, this fern has been considered both an auto- and an allopolyploid and may be composed of at least two closely related taxa. Plants in the northeast and northwest are tetraploid. These differ morphologically and ecologically from a taxon of unknown chromosome number in the southwestern Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountain taxon closely resembles the Mexican D. pseudofilix-mas (Fée) Rothmaler. Dryopteris filix-mas also occurs in Europe, and it is known to be an allopolyploid of D. caucasica (A. Braun) Fraser-Jenkins & Corley × oreades Fomin.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2.
Parent taxa Dryopteridaceae > Dryopteris Dryopteridaceae > Dryopteris
Sibling taxa
D. arguta, D. campyloptera, D. carthusiana, D. cinnamomea, D. clintoniana, D. cristata, D. expansa, D. filix-mas, D. fragrans, D. goldieana, D. intermedia, D. ludoviciana, D. marginalis
D. arguta, D. campyloptera, D. carthusiana, D. celsa, D. cinnamomea, D. clintoniana, D. cristata, D. expansa, D. fragrans, D. goldieana, D. intermedia, D. ludoviciana, D. marginalis
Synonyms D. goldiana subsp. celsa Polypodium filix-mas
Name authority (W. Palmer) Knowlton: W. Palmer, & Pollard, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 13: 202. (1900) (Linnaeus) Schott: Gen. Fil. plate 67. (1834)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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