Name: |
- Comptonia, after Henry Compton, Bishop of London from 1632-1713,
by Sir Josiah Banks.
- peregrina, from the Latin, "foreign"
- Common Name from the aroma and the fern like shape of the leaf.
- Also known as comptonie voyageuse (Qué)
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Taxonomy: |
- Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
- Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)
- Class Magnoliopsida, the Dicotyledons
- Subclass Hamamelididae
- Order Myricales
- Family Myriaceae, the Myrtles
- Taxonomic Serial Number: 501619
- Also known as Myrica asplenifolia, Myrica peregrina, Liquidambar
peregrina
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Description: |
- Not a fern, but a low, deciduous, rhizomatous shrub, 1'-4' tall.
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Leaves simple, alternate, and fernlike;
fragrant and hairy, 2½"-4½" long. 
- Stem red-brown to grey
- Roots
- Flowers catkins clustered at ends of the branches;
1¼"-1¾" long.
- Sepals
- Petals
- Stamens
- Pistils
- Ovary superior (within blossom) inferior (below
flower)
- Fruit
- Seeds in burlike heads, with four per fruit
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Identification: |
- Identifiable as he only woody plant in the North Woods with fern like
foliage.
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Distribution: |
- Ontario to the Gaspé, south to northern Minnesota, Wisconsin,
northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
and New Jersey. South through the Appalachians to northern Georgia.
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Habitat: |
- Openings in coniferous forest in well-drained, dry, acid, sandy or
gravelly soils. Because it fixes nitrogen, does well on disturbed sites
or sites with sterile soil. Drought and salt tolerant. Dry, sterile,
sandy to rocky soils in pinelands or pine barrens, clearings, or edges
of woodlots
- Shade intolerant invader of newly opened canopies and disturbed sites.
- Host to Sweetfern Blister Rust (Cronartium comptoniae), which
reduces growth of Jack Pine (Pinus
banksiana)
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Fire: |
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Associates: |
- Trees: Jack Pine (Pinus
banksiana)
- Shrubs: Serviceberry (Amelanchier
spp.), New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus
americanus), American Hazel (Corylus
americana), Beaked Hazel (Corylus
cornuta), Wintergreen (Gaultheria
procumbens), Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium
augustifolium, Vaccinium myrtilloides)
- Herbs: Yellow Sedge (Carex
pensylvanica), Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.), Hairgrass
(Deschampsia flexuosa), Hawkweed (Hieracium spp.),
Sunflower (Helianthus spp.), Ricegrass (Oryzopsis spp.),
Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum),
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Goldenrod (Solidago
spp.)
- Ground Covers:
- Mammals: Limited use as food and cover for cottontail
rabbits. In Minnesota, moose browse sweetfern in winter and spring,
and white-tailed deer browse it in winter only.
- Birds: Fruits eaten by flickers; food and cover for
ruffed grouse. Prairie chickens and sharp-tailed grouse use for nesting
cover.
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History: |
- The Mi'kmaq used the leaves to treat poison ivy rash.
- Many Native American tribes used different parts of Comptonia peregrina
variously: as an incense for ritual ceremonies; for medicinal purposes;
as a stimulant or tonic; as a food seasoning; and as a poison.
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Uses: |
- Leaves used for potpourri, and tea made from the leaves has been used
to relieve symptoms of dysentery.
- Fruits may be eaten raw, and the fresh leaves are used as a lining
in fruit baskets to help preserve the fruits.
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Reproduction: |
- Reproduces by rhizomes and seed.
- Matures sexually in 2-3 years. Seeds can remain viable in the soil
for as long as 70 years.
- Spreads mainly by rhizomes, forming thickets in sun or partial shade.
- Colonizes newly burned sites primarily by sprouting from rhizomes.
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Propagation: |
- Difficult to propagate by seed.
- Best started with root cuttings.
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Cultivation: |
- Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
- Available by mail order from specialty suppliers.
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Links: |
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Comments: |
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Last updated on
7 March, 2006
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