Flora of North America species comparison

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Lygodium japonicum

Japanese climbing fern
Stems

creeping.
Leaves

to ca. 3(-30) m. Petioles borne 2-7 mm apart, 10-35 cm.
Sterile

pinnae on 1.5-3.5 cm stalks, triangular to lanceolate, 2-3-pinnate, 6-15 × 5.5-15 cm; ultimate segments lanceolate, lobed or divided proximally;

lobes usually acute at tip and directed toward apex;

segment apices long-attenuate to acute;

segments not articulate to petiolules, not leaving wiry stalks when detached;

blade tissue pubescent abaxially with short, curved hairs.
Fertile

pinnae on 1-2 cm stalks, lanceolate-triangular, 2-3-pinnate, 5-18 × 4-14 cm; ultimate segments ovate to lanceolate, fringed with fertile lobes, otherwise similiar to sterile segments.

Lygodium japonicum
Habitat Terrestrial in woods, marshes, roadside ditches, riverbanks, and other wet, disturbed sites in circumneutral soil.
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; SC; TX; Asia in China; Japan
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lygodium japonicum is native to eastern Asia. It is commonly naturalized or escaped from cultivation. It has been reported as weedy in southern Alabama and Florida where its dense canopy can eliminate underlying vegetation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 2, p. 116.
Parent taxa Lygodiaceae > Lygodium
Sibling taxa
L. microphyllum, L. palmatum
Synonyms Ophioglossum japonicum
Name authority (Thunberg ex Murray) Swartz: J. Bot. (Schrader) 1800(2): 106. (1801)
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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