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Osmunda claytoniana
L.
Interrupted Fern
Osmundaceae
Osmunda claytoniana is a species of fern in the family Osmundaceae. It is widely distributed in eastern North America and Asia, and is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental.
Description
Osmunda claytoniana spreads via rhizomes. Leaves are up to 1 m long, pinnate-pinnatifid and overall elliptic to oblong in outline, with the petiole being long, about a third of the total length. The 20 to 30 leaflets are oblong with a tapering tip, often over 25 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, cut into triangular lobes with blunt tips and smooth margins. Some leaves are fertile; these leaves have fertile leaflets located near the middle of the leaf. These are much smaller, and shed their spores and turn dark early, hence the common name of interrupted fern (“interrupted” being the lower and upper leaflets) (FNAEC 1993; Wu et al. 2013). It can easily be distinguished from related species using this criterion.
Uses
Note: Please see the disclaimer regarding any information about medical or edible uses.
Osmunda claytoniana is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental. It grows in USDA zones 3 to 8 and prefers medium to wet and typically acidic soil, and part shade to full shade (MBG). It has a few miscellaneous medicinal uses, such as its rhizomes and fronds being antibacterial and used to wash wounds (Quattrocchi 2012).
Distribution
Osmunda claytoniana is native to hills and wooded slopes (MBG). It has a wide range, from the Himalayas east to East Asia to the Far East of Russia (Wu et al. 2013), as well as eastern North America from Newfoundland to Tennessee as well as west to Manitoba (FNAEC 1993).
Status
References
FNAEC (Flora of North America Editorial Committee), editor. 1993. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 2: Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. New York: Oxford University Press.
MBG (Missouri Botanical Garden), Osmunda claytoniana. Plant Finder. [accessed 2020 Jul 25]. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=t210
Quattrocchi, U. 2012. CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H., and Hong, D. Y., eds. 2013. Flora of China. Vol. 2-3 (Lycopodiaceae through Polypodiaceae). Beijing: Science Press, and St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
MBG (Missouri Botanical Garden), Osmunda claytoniana. Plant Finder. [accessed 2020 Jul 25]. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=t210
Quattrocchi, U. 2012. CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H., and Hong, D. Y., eds. 2013. Flora of China. Vol. 2-3 (Lycopodiaceae through Polypodiaceae). Beijing: Science Press, and St. Louis: Missouri Botanical Garden Press.
Description
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