Ferns of the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

Presented by The Friends of the Wildflower Garden

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Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden

FERNS

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ARTICLE
Which ferns to plant where

This is a listing of most of the ferns represented in the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden today and historically.
Nomenclature has changed over the last 100 years from that which the early curators (Eloise Butler and Martha Crone) used and we have provided the more current classification as used by the major listings in use today, particularly Flora of North America, and in Minnesota the Checklist of the Vascular Flora of Minnesota, published by the University of Minnesota Herbarium; both reflect the work by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG III classification system)

Fern names with active links will bring up an information sheet with plant information and photos. Ferns are listed in Scientific Name order. First photo is spore location, second photo is frond shape.
Number after description refers to photo credit and copyright listing at page bottom

Ferns present in the Wildflower Garden

Maidenhair sori — Northern Maidenhair Fern
*Adiantum pedatum*
Native (3)

Thumbnail — Northern Maidenhair Fern
*Adiantum pedatum*
Native (3)

Lady Fern Sori — Lady Fern
*Athyrium filix-femina*
Native (3)

Lady Fern
*Athyrium filix-femina*
Native (3)

Bulblet fern sori — Bulblet Bladder Fern (Berry Bladder Fern)
*Cystopteris bulbifera*
Native (3)

bulblet fern frond — Bulblet Bladder Fern (Berry Bladder Fern)
*Cystopteris bulbifera*
Native (3)

Silvery false Spleenwort sori — Silvery False Spleenwort
*Deparia acrostichoides*
Native (3)

Goldie's Fern sori — Goldie's Wood Fern
*Dryopteris goldiana*
Native (3)

Marginal Fern sori — Marginal Wood Fern
*Dryopteris marginalis*
Native (3)

Marginal Fern thumbnail — Marginal Wood Fern
*Dryopteris marginalis*
Native (3)

Ostrich Fern Sori — Ostrich Fern
*Matteuccia struthiopteris*
Native (3)

Sensitive Fern sori — Sensitive Fern
*Onoclea sensibilis*
Native (3)

Cinnamon Fern Soriu — Cinnamon Fern
*Osmundastrum cinnamomeum*
Older name - *Osmunda cinnamomea*
Native (3)

Interrupted Fern sori — Interrupted Fern
*Osmunda claytoniana*
Native (3)

Christmas Fern sori — Christmas Fern
*Polystichum acrostichoides*
native (3)

Bracken fern sori — Bracken Fern
*Pteridium aquilinum* var. *latiusculum*
Native (3)

Ferns once present in the Garden but no longer extant.

Ebony spleenwort sori — Ebony Spleenwort
*Asplenium platyneuron*
Native (both 11)

Ebony Spleenwort frond — Ebony Spleenwort
*Asplenium platyneuron*
Native (both 11)

Walking Fern sori — Walking Fern
*Asplenium rhizophyllum*
Native (11 sori) (2 frond)

Walking Fern fronds — Walking Fern
*Asplenium rhizophyllum*
Native (11 sori) (2 frond)

Maidenhair spleenwort sori — Maidenhair Spleenwort
*Asplenium trichomanes*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Maidenhair spleenwort frond — Maidenhair Spleenwort
*Asplenium trichomanes*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Rattlesnake Fern sori — Rattlesnake Fern (Grape Fern)
*Botrychium virginianum*
Native (4 sori) (12 frond)

Rattlesnake Fern frond — Rattlesnake Fern (Grape Fern)
*Botrychium virginianum*
Native (4 sori) (12 frond)

sori of brittle bladder fern — Brittle Bladder Fern (Fragile Bladder Fern)
*Cystopteris fragilis*
Native (3)

frond of brittle bladder fern — Brittle Bladder Fern (Fragile Bladder Fern)
*Cystopteris fragilis*
Native (3)

Hay-scented FErn sori — Hay-scented Fern
*Dennstaedtia punctilobula*
Not Native (6 sori) (7 frond)

Hay-scented Fern frond — Hay-scented Fern
*Dennstaedtia punctilobula*
Not Native (6 sori) (7 frond)

Glade Fern sori — Glade Fern (Narrow-leaved Spleenwort)
*Diplazium pycnocarpon*
Native (3)

Glade Fern (Narrow-leaved Spleenwort)
*Diplazium pycnocarpon*
Native (3)

Spinulose Wood Fern sori — Spinulose Wood Fern (Toothed Wood Fern)
*Dryopteris carthusiana*
Native (3)

Clinton Fern sori — Clinton Fern
*Dryopteris clintoniana*
Native (4 sori) (7 frond)

Clinton Fern Frond — Clinton Fern
*Dryopteris clintoniana*
Native (4 sori) (7 frond)

Crested Wood Fern sori — Crested Wood Fern (Crested Shield Fern)
*Dryopteris cristata*
Native (3)

crested wood fern — Crested Wood Fern (Crested Shield Fern)
*Dryopteris cristata*
Native (3)

Sori — Spreading Wood Fern
*Dryopteris expansa*
Native (4 sori) (7 frond)

Spreading Wood Fern frond — Spreading Wood Fern
*Dryopteris expansa*
Native (4 sori) (7 frond)

male fern sori — Male Fern
*Dryopteris filix-mas*
Native (3)

male fern thumbnail — Male Fern
*Dryopteris filix-mas*
Native (3)

Western Oak FErn sori — Western Oak Fern
*Gymnocarpium dryopteris*
Native (11)

Western Oak Fern frond — Western Oak Fern
*Gymnocarpium dryopteris*
Native (11)

Royal Fern sori — Royal Fern
*Osmunda regalis* var. *spectabilis*
Native (3)

Royal Fern Frond — Royal Fern
*Osmunda regalis* var. *spectabilis*
Native (3)

Purple Cliff Brake sori — Purple Cliff Brake
*Pellaea atropurpurea*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Purple Cliff Brake frond — Purple Cliff Brake
*Pellaea atropurpurea*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Long Beech Fern sori — Long Beech Fern (Narrow Beech Fern)
*Phegopteris connectilis*
Native (11 sori) (13 frond)

Long Beech Fern Frond — Long Beech Fern (Narrow Beech Fern)
*Phegopteris connectilis*
Native (11 sori) (13 frond)

Broad beech fern sori — Broad Beech Fern
*Phegopteris hexagonoptera*
Native (both 11)

Broad Beech Fern frond — Broad Beech Fern
*Phegopteris hexagonoptera*
Native (both 11)

Common Polypody sori — Common Polypody
*Polypodium virginianum*
Native (both 11)

common Polypody frond — Common Polypody
*Polypodium virginianum*
Native (both 11)

Braun's Holly Fern sori — Braun's Holly Fern
*Polystichum braunii*
Native (9 sori) (5 frond)

Braun's Holly Fern frond — Braun's Holly Fern
*Polystichum braunii*
Native (9 sori) (5 frond)

New York Fern sori — New York Fern
*Thelypteris noveboracensis*
Not Native (4 sori) (10 frond)

New York Fern frond — New York Fern
*Thelypteris noveboracensis*
Not Native (4 sori) (10 frond)

marsh fern sori — Marsh Fern
*Thelypteris palustris* var. *pubescens*
Native (3)

Marsh Fern
*Thelypteris palustris* var. *pubescens*
Native (3)

rusty woodsia sori — Rusty Woodsia
*Woodsia ilvensis*
Native (4 sori) (3 frond)

Rusty Woodsia frond — Rusty Woodsia
*Woodsia ilvensis*
Native (4 sori) (3 frond)

Blunt-lobe cliff fern sori — Blunt-lobe Cliff Fern
*Woodsia obtusa*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Blunt lobe cliff fern frond — Blunt-lobe Cliff Fern
*Woodsia obtusa*
Native (sori 4) (frond 11)

Photo credits and Copyright

(1) Aaron Carlson, Wisconsin Flora
(2) Martha Crone, Friends of the Wild Flower Garden
(3) G D Bebeau, Friends of the Wild Flower Garden
(4) Drawings from Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. (Public Domain)
(5) Eric Epstein, Wisconsin Flora,
(6) Gary Fewless, Wisconsin Flora,
(7) Emmett J. Judziewicz, Wisconsin Flora
(8) not used
(9) Eric Kronig, Wisconsin Flora
(10) Robert H. Mohlenbrock, USDA-NRCS PLants Database
(11) Christopher Noll, Wisconsin Flora
(12) Janice Stiefel, Wisconsin Flora
(13) Stephen L. Solheim, Wisconsin Flora

Fern Talk: An illustrated glossary of the most common nomenclature

Eloise Butler wrote two essays about ferns in the early Wild Botanic Garden, as it was then called.
(1) 1915 essay "Ferns in the Wild Garden." This work was sent to The Gray Memorial Botanical Chapter, (Division D ) of the Agassiz Association for publication in the chapters circular bulletin.
(2) 1919 essay with the same title "Ferns in the Wild Garden." Based on her text we believe this was also sent to the Gray Memorial Chapter.

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Garden Plant Photo Identification Booklet