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fougère de New York, New York fern, thélyptéride de New York

female fern, maiden fern, marsh fern, oct.)

Stems

usually long-creeping, 1.5–2.5 mm diam.

long-creeping to ascending to erect, 1.5–12 mm or more diam.

Leaves

monomorphic, dying back in winter, mostly evenly spaced 1 cm or more (sun-gathering leaves in loose cluster), (25–)40–85 cm.

Petiole

straw-colored, 4–25 cm × 1–3 mm, at base with scales tan to reddish brown, ovate, glabrous.

Blade(s)

elliptic, 15–60 cm, proximal 4–10 pinna pairs gradually smaller toward base (smallest often less than 5 mm), blade tapering gradually to pinnatifid apex.

1-pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, rarely 2-pinnate, proximal pinnae reduced or not, apex commonly gradually reduced, infrequently abruptly reduced and pinnalike;

pinnae entire to deeply pinnatifid, sessile or short-stalked;

costae grooved adaxially;

buds absent or uncommonly present in axils of pinnae;

veins free to regularly anastomosing, commonly simple (1-forked in a few species, e.g., Thelypteris palustris) and reaching margin;

indument various abaxially, often of simple or branched hairs on blades, rachises and costae with or usually without scales.

Pinnae

deeply pinnatifid to within 1 mm of costa, 3–9(–13) × 1–2(–2.5) cm;

segments oblong to linear, somewhat oblique, entire to crenulate;

proximal pair of veins from adjacent segments meeting margin above sinus.

Sori

round, supramedial;

indusia tan, often ciliate;

sporangia glabrous.

round, oblong, or elongate along veins, commonly medial to supramedial;

indusia round-reniform, large (ca. 1 mm diam.) and persistent or sometimes small (less than 0.3 mm diam.), occasionally ephemeral, sometimes absent;

sporangial capsules glabrous or occasionally hairy.

Indument

abaxially of moderately to densely set hairs to 1 mm on rachises, costae, and veins, glands lacking or yellowish to light orangish, mostly sessile on blade tissue;

blades adaxially often with hairs on veins.

x

= 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.

2n

= 54.

Thelypteris noveboracensis

Thelypteris

Habitat Terrestrial in moist woods, especially near swamps, streams, and in vernal seeps of ravines, often in slightly disturbed secondary forests, frequently forming large colonies
Elevation 0–1100 m (0–3600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WV; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
from USDA
Nearly worldwide
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

In the broadest sense, Thelypteris is a very large and complex genus of about 900 species and constitutes the only genus in the family. It has been divided into ca. 30 genera by R. E. Holttum (1971, 1982); these are treated as subgenera and/or sections by various workers. In the treatment adopted here, the genus is broadly circumscribed but excludes the small segregate genera Phegopteris and Macrothelypteris, two of the most distinctive elements. The subgroups of Thelypteris (treated as genera by some workers) are indicated in the key to species and by their subgeneric names preceding the treatment of species groups. The name to be used if a narrowly circumscribed segregate genus is adopted is included in the synonymy.

Species ca. 875 (21 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Pinnae entire or merely serrate; veins regularly united in pairs to form parallel rows of more than 5 areoles between costa and pinna margin, areoles each with single excurrent, usually free veinlet (subg. Meniscium).
→ 2
1. Pinnae shallowly to deeply lobed; veins free, connivent at sinuses, or 1-2 pairs between primary veins uniting to form common vein extending to sinus.
→ 3
2. Pinna margins hooked-serrate.
T. serrata
2. Pinna margins entire to undulate or crenulate.
T. reticulata
3. Stellate and/or forked hairs present, especially on scales at apex of stems, on rachises, especially in adaxial grooves, and often on other parts of blades (subg. Goniopteris).
→ 4
3. Stellate or forked hairs absent.
→ 6
4. Blades mostly 15-25 cm wide, proximal pinnae not reduced, blade abruptly narrowed distally, apical pinna similar to lateral pinnae; pinnae usually 6-8 pairs.
T. tetragona
4. Blades mostly 2-8(-10) cm wide, with or without reduced proximal pinnae, blade gradually narrowed distally to pinnatifid apex, apical pinna not similar to lateral pinnae; pinnae 6-25(-30) pairs.
→ 5
5. Pinnae with acute lobes; blade hairs subsessile, stellate; blades erect, not rooting at apex.
T. sclerophylla
5. Pinnae entire or with shallow, rounded lobes; blade hairs stalked, stellate, mixed with needlelike hairs; blades commonly arching or pendent and rooting at apex.
T. reptans
6. Sori elongate; sporangia minutely hairy (subg. Stegnogramma).
pilosa var. alabamensis
6. Sori round or slightly oblong; sporangia glabrous.
→ 7
7. Blades with all veins extending to margin above sinus; proximal pinnae greatly reduced or not.
→ 8
7. Blades with at least some basal veins extending to, connivent at, or united below sinus; proximal pinnae usually not reduced (subg. Cyclosorus), or if reduced, then veins united below sinus.
→ 13
8. Proximal pinnae not reduced or only slightly so, not much shorter than middle pinnae.
→ 9
8. Proximal pinnae greatly reduced, much shorter than middle pinnae.
→ 10
9. Segment veins often forked; blades lacking glands; abaxial surface of costae with tan, ovate scales (subg. Thelypteris).
palustris var. pubescens
9. Segment veins not forked; blades bearing sessile glands abaxially; costae lacking scales (subg. Parathelypteris).
T. simulata
10. Petioles (and often rachises and costae) with persistent tan to straw-colored, linear-lanceolate scales abaxially (subg. Lastrea).
T. quelpaertensis
10. Petioles persistently scaly only toward base, rachises and costae lacking scales abaxially.
→ 11
11. Stems erect, trunklike with age; leaves evergreen; blades abaxially with dense reddish, hemispheric, sessile glands (subg. Amauropelta).
T. resinifera
11. Stems creeping (apices sometimes upturned with leaves clustered); leaves dying back in winter; blades glandular or not abaxially (subg. Parathelypteris).
→ 12
12. Costae conspicuously hairy abaxially, hairs ca. 1 mm; blades abaxially lacking glands or with sparse, mostly sessile glands.
T. noveboracensis
12. Costae glabrous or sparsely hairy abaxially, hairs 0.2-0.7 mm; blades abaxially with numerous yellow to orange, mostly short-stipitate glands.
T. nevadensis
13. Basal veins of adjacent segments united below sinus, excurrent vein leading toward sinus.
→ 14
13. Basal veins of adjacent segments free, or connivent at sinuses.
→ 16
14. Stems long-creeping; costae with tan ovate scales abaxially; veins, costules, and costae adaxially glabrous or sparsely hairy with hairs less than 0.2 mm.
T. interrupta
14. Stems short-creeping or suberect; costae without scales abaxially; veins, costules, and costae moderately to rather densely hairy adaxially with hairs greater than 0.3 mm.
→ 15
15. Costae with predominantly short hairs uniform in length (less than 0.2 mm and often less than 0.1 mm) on abaxial surface; excurrent veins mostly greater than 2 mm; petioles purplish; leaves with usually more than 2 pairs of greatly reduced proximal pinnae.
T. dentata
15. Costae with most hairs greater than 0.3 mm (some exceeding 0.5 mm) on abaxial surface, hairs not uniform; excurrent veins less than 2 mm; petioles straw-colored; leaves with 0-2 pairs of slightly reduced proximal pinnae.
hispidula var. versicolor
16. Stems suberect to erect; scales at base of petioles ovate, glabrous.
patens var. patens
16. Stems long- to short-creeping; scales at base of petioles lanceolate, usually hairy.
→ 17
17. Costules and veins adaxially with at least a few rather stout hairs mostly longer than 0.3 mm; blades adaxially often rather glandular; scales absent on abaxial surface of rachises and costae of mature leaves.
→ 18
17. Costules and veins adaxially glabrous; blades adaxially lacking glands; a few scales often persistent on rachises and/or costae abaxially.
→ 19
18. Proximal pinnae (1-2 pairs) somewhat reduced; stems short-creeping, sometimes appearing suberect; venation variable, even on same leaf, veins united and giving rise to short-excurrent vein or veins connivent at sinus; blades adaxially often somewhat hairy; veins adaxially always with stout hairs, many longer than 0.4 mm.
hispidula var. versicolor
18. Proximal pinnae usually not at all reduced; stems short- to long-creeping; veins connivent at sinus or distal vein of each pair meeting margin slightly above sinus; blades glabrous or sparsely hairy adaxially; veins adaxially with or without stout hairs.
T. kunthii
19. Apical portion of blades somewhat similar to lateral pinnae; pinnae less than 2 cm wide.
T. augescens
19. Apical portion of blades ± attenuated, different from lateral pinnae; pinnae 0.8-4.8 cm wide.
→ 20
20. Basal segments of pinnae near base of blade slightly elongate and parallel to rachis; costae abaxially lacking scales or scales sparse.
T. ovata
20. Basal segments of pinnae near base of blade not elongate and not parallel to rachis, or only those facing apex of rachis elongate and enlarged; costae abaxially bearing few to many scales.
→ 21
21. Pinnae more than 2 cm wide; costae abaxially with hairs ca. 0.1 mm.
grandis var. grandis
21. Pinnae less than 2 cm wide; costae abaxially with hairs at least 0.2 mm.
puberula var. sonorensis
Source FNA vol. 2. FNA vol. 2. Author: Alan R. Smith.
Parent taxa Thelypteridaceae > Thelypteris > subg. Parathelypteris Thelypteridaceae
Sibling taxa
T. augescens, T. dentata, T. grandis, T. hispidula, T. interrupta, T. kunthii, T. nevadensis, T. ovata, T. palustris, T. patens, T. pilosa, T. puberula, T. quelpaertensis, T. reptans, T. resinifera, T. reticulata, T. sclerophylla, T. serrata, T. simulata, T. tetragona
Subordinate taxa
T. augescens, T. dentata, T. grandis var. grandis, T. hispidula var. versicolor, T. interrupta, T. kunthii, T. nevadensis, T. noveboracensis, T. ovata, T. palustris var. pubescens, T. patens var. patens, T. pilosa var. alabamensis, T. puberula var. sonorensis, T. quelpaertensis, T. reptans, T. resinifera, T. reticulata, T. sclerophylla, T. serrata, T. simulata, T. tetragona
Synonyms Polypodium noveboracense, Dryopteris noveboracensis, Parathelypteris noveboracensis, T. thelypterioides
Name authority (Linnaeus) Nieuwland: Amer. Midl. Naturalist 1: 225. (1910) Schmidel: Icon. Pl. ed. Keller, 3 45, plates 11, 13. (1763)
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