Flora of North America species comparison

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Dryopteris intermedia

Dryopteris marginalis

dryoptère spinuleuse, evergreen wood fern, fancy fern, intermediate woodfern

dryoptère à sores marginaux, marginal wood fern
Leaves

monomorphic, green through winter, 32–90 × 10–20 cm.

monomorphic, green through winter, 30–100 × 10–25 cm.
Petiole

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

scales scattered, tan.

1/4–1/3 length of leaf, scaly at base;

scales in dense tuft, pale tawny.
Blade

green, ovate, 3-pinnate-pinnatifid, herbaceous, glandular.

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

± in plane of blade, lanceolate-oblong;

basal pinnae lanceolate, not reduced, basal pinnules longer than adjacent pinnules, basal basiscopic pinnule longer than basal acroscopic pinnule;

pinnule margins serrate, teeth spiny.

± in plane of blade, lanceolate;

basal pinnae lanceolate, slightly reduced, basal pinnules longer than adjacent pinnules, basal basiscopic pinnule longer than basal acroscopic pinnule;

pinnule margins shallowly crenate to nearly entire.
Indusia

with minute glandular hairs.

lacking glands.
Sori

midway between midvein and margin of segments.

near margin of segments.
2n

= 82.

= 82.

Dryopteris intermedia

Dryopteris marginalis
Habitat Moist rocky woods, especially hemlock hardwoods, ravines, and edges of swamps Rocky, wooded slopes and ravines, edges of woods, stream banks and roadbanks, and rock walls
Elevation 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft) 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A related taxon, Dryopteris intermedia subsp. maderensis (J. Milde ex Alston) Fraser-Jenkins, occurs on eastern Atlantic islands.

Dryopteris intermedia and the other taxa in the " D. spinulosa complex" have long confounded taxonomists. Dryopteris intermedia is diploid and is one of the parents of the allotetraploids D. carthusiana and D. campyloptera. Dryopteris intermedia hybridizes with eight species. All hybrids are easily detected by the distinctive glandular hairs on the indusia and, usually, on the costae and costules.

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

Dryopteris marginalis is an eastern North America endemic. Even though this species hybridizes with 10 other species, and some of these hybrids are fairly common, D. marginalis is not known to be involved in the formation of any fertile polyploid. Hybrids can be detected by malformed spores and the nearly marginal sorus position.

(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. celsa, D. cinnamomea, D. clintoniana, D. cristata, D. expansa, D. filix-mas, D. fragrans, D. goldieana, D. ludoviciana, D. marginalis
D. arguta, D. campyloptera, D. carthusiana, D. celsa, D. cinnamomea, D. clintoniana, D. cristata, D. expansa, D. filix-mas, D. fragrans, D. goldieana, D. intermedia, D. ludoviciana
Synonyms Aspidium intermedium, D. austriaca var. intermedia, D. spinulosa var. intermedia Polypodium marginale
Name authority (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) A. Gray: Manual 630. (1848) (Linnaeus) A. Gray: Manual 632. (1848)
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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