Marsh fern is a medium-sized fern that grows in bogs, marshes, and wet meadows across eastern North America, spreading by creeping underground stems into large patches. It is the only known host plant of the caterpillar of the marsh fern moth. Its species name, palustris, means "of the marsh" in Latin.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Fronds rise one by one from a creeping rootstock and are lance-shaped, once-divided, and light green. Each leaflet is cut deeply, almost to its center vein. The stalk is tan to purplish and hairless.
- Leaves
- Fronds are usually 16–30 in (40–75 cm) long and 3–7 in (8–18 cm) wide. -bearing fronds are taller, narrower, and stiffer than the regular ones.
- Seasonal forms
- Fronds die back in winter. Spores ripen from mid to late summer.
Look-alikes
Lady fernAthyrium filix-femina
Lady fern grows in clumps and its leaflets are clearly toothed. Marsh fern comes up as scattered single fronds from creeping stems, and its leaflets are not toothed.
Why they get mixed upBoth are medium-sized, light green ferns of damp ground.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- bogs
- marshes
- wet meadows
- fens
- shorelines
- Range
- Native to eastern North America and widely across temperate Eurasia.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers wet, sunny spots but tolerates light shade. It is a wetland plant, though it usually isn't found standing in open water.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Round spore clusters form on the undersides of the fertile fronds. The leaf edges roll under slightly and partly cover them.
Growing it
- Propagation
- Spreads by creeping , often forming colonies.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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