Name: |
- Woodsia, for English botanist Joseph Woods (1776-1864).
- alpina, from the Latin, alpinus, "alpine"
- Common name from its preferred habitat in some parts of its range
(though not ours)
- Other common names include Alpine Cliff Fern, woodsie alpine (Qué),
Grey Northern Woodsia (UK), Fjällhällebräken, Kortskaftad
Hällebräken (Swe), Fjell-lodnebregne (Nor), Fjeld-Frynsebregne
(Dan), Tunturikiviyrtti (Fin), Fjallaliðfætla (Is),
Alpen-Wimperfarn, Südlicher Wimperfarn (Ger), Woodsia d'Elbe,
Woodsia méridional (Fr)
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Taxonomy: |
- Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
- Division Polypodiophyta, the True Ferns
- Class Filicopsida
- Order Polypodiales
- Family Dryopteridaceae, the Wood Ferns
- Genus Woodsia, the Cliff Ferns
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 17738
- Also known as Acrostichum alpinum, Woodsia belli, Woodsia
hyperborea, Woodsia ilvensis var. alpina
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Description: |
- A very small, rock loving fern typically growing in dense, upright tufts;
rare in our area.
- Fronds
- Petiole short, reddish brown or dark purple when mature, articulate
above base at swollen node, relatively brittle and easily shattered.
- Rachis (leaf axis) green, grooved; slightly scaly and hairy.
- Blade linear to narrowly lanceolate, rachis with widely scattered
hairs and scales, 1"-8"× ¼"-1", but typically
only about ½" x 4"
- Pinnae (primary leaflets) ovate-lanceolate to deltate, longer
than wide, abruptly tapered to a rounded or broadly acute apex; largest
pinnae with 1-3 pairs of pinnules; abaxial surface with isolated hairs
and linear scales, adaxial surface glabrous.
- Pinnules (secondary leaflets) entire or broadly crenate; margins
nonlustrous, thin, with occasional isolated cilia, lacking translucent
projections. Vein tips often enlarged to form whitish hydathodes visible
on the upper surface.
- Sori small, round, with distinct indusium; located very near
leaflet edge.
- Rootstalk compact, erect to ascending, with cluster of persistent
petiole bases of more or less equal length; scales uniformly brown, lanceolate.
- Roots fine, hairlike, and numerous
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Identification: |
- Identifiable as Woodsia by
- articulate bases to the petioles and the accumulation of petiole bases
that have broken off below the articulation.
- relatively small size for our area
- affinity for rocky habitats
- twice-cut fronds
- Distinguished from
- Smooth Woodsia (Woodsia
glabella) by its widely scattered hairs and scales and dark
petiole.
- Rusty Woodsia (Woodsia
ilvensis) by its scattered hairs and scales, and its largest
pinnae (leaflets) having but 1-3 pairs of pinnules (secondary leaflets).
Rusty Woodsia has abundant hairs and scales; its largest pinnae have
4-9 pairs of pinnules. Rusty Woodsia is also far more likely to be found
in our area.
- Rocky Mountain Woodsia (Woodsia
scopulina) and Oregon Woodsia (Woodsia
oregana) by its segmented stem
- Field Marks
- hairs and scales on fronds and leafstalks
- presence of stem segmentation or articulation
- petiole coloration
- number of pinnules on largest pinnae
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Distribution: |
- Alaska to Newfoundland and Greenland, south to Minnesota, Michigan, New
York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Also northern Eurasia.
- At the southern limit of its range in northeastern Minnesota.
- Classified as a "Species of Special Concern" in Minnesota, found
in Cook and Lake Counties, but not St. Louis.
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Habitat: |
- Crevices and ledges on cliffs (occasionally on rocky slopes); mostly slaty
and calcareous rocks
, especially limestone.
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History: |
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Uses: |
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Reproduction: |
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Propagation: |
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Cultivation: |
- Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
- Generally not available commercially.
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Links: |
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Comments: |
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Last Updated on
26 February, 2004
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