Flora of North America species comparison

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Osmunda cinnamomea

Osmunda

cinnamon fern, osmonde cannelle

osmunda
Habit Plants terrestrial.
Stems

creeping;

tips often somewhat erect.
Leaves

pinnate-pinnatifid;

petioles slightly shorter than blades, not winged, with light brown hairs when young, glabrate with age.

dimorphic;

fertile leaves erect, often notably smaller than sterile leaves in length and width.
Fertile leaves

with no expanded pinnae, green, becoming brownish, shorter and narrower than sterile leaves, withering after sporulation.

Sterile leaves

ovate to lanceolate, ca. 0.3–1.5 m;

pinnae broadly oblong with persistent tuft of hairs on abaxial surface at base; ultimate segments with base obtuse, margins entire, apex usually mucronate.

Blades

1–2-pinnate;

pinnae monomorphic to dimorphic, pinnatifid or pinnate.
Sporangia

brown.

2n

=44.

Osmunda cinnamomea

Osmunda
Phenology Sporulation spring–early summer (late summer, early winter in Florida).
Habitat Moist areas, acidic soils, frequently in vernal seeps
Elevation 0–2300 m (0–7500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from USDA
Nearly worldwide; tropical and temperate regions
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Many forms of Osmunda cinnamomea have been described from within the flora area. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental.

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

Species 10 (3 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Fertile leaves with pinnae monomorphic, all spore-bearing; tuft of hairs persistent on abaxial surface of pinnae near base.
O. cinnamomea
1. Fertile leaves with pinnae dimorphic, some spore-bearing, some not; tuft of hairs absent on abaxial surface of pinnae near base.
→ 2
2. Sterile leaves 2-pinnate with pinnules sessile.
O. ruggii
2. Sterile leaves pinnate-pinnatifid or 2-pinnate with pinnules stalked.
→ 3
3. Fertile pinnae apical, sterile leaves 2-pinnate.
regalis var. spectabilis
3. Fertile pinnae medial, sterile leaves pinnate-pinnatifid.
O. claytoniana
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2. Authors: R. David Whetstone, T. A. Atkinson.
Parent taxa Osmundaceae > Osmunda Osmundaceae
Sibling taxa
O. claytoniana, O. regalis, O. ruggii
Subordinate taxa
O. cinnamomea, O. claytoniana, O. regalis var. spectabilis, O. ruggii
Synonyms O. cinnamomea var. glandulosa
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1066. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1063. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 484, (1754)
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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