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A NEW ANNOTATED LIST OF MANITOBA (SPRING, 2016) Richard J. Staniforth of ferns, even within the same region. 3. Bulblet Bladder- 336 Glenwood Crescent The ones chosen for the checklist are Bulblet Fern4 (Fig. 2) Winnipeg, MB R2L 1J9 those that are most commonly used, bulbifera (Linnaeus) [email protected] or seem to be the most logical names Bernhardi for those species. Alternative names Very rare. A single specimen (MMMN Most people who have interests in that have occasionally been selected in 39) was collected from “Eastern nature have enjoyed the pleasure of important publications involving ferns Manitoba” by M.W. Hutchison in seeing ferns in their natural habitats; 4,5 are given below for clarification. 1944. No additional information is whether they have been large graceful given on the herbarium label. stands of Ostrich ferns growing in 1. Eastern Lady-fern spring-flooded, riverine forests; stately 4 Ladyfern (Fig. 1) 4. Brittle Bladder-fern patches of bracken in among fragrant Athyrium filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth Fragile Fern4, Fragile Bladder-fern5 pines; or even the various kinds of rock ex Mertens var. angustum (Willdenow) (Linnaeus) ferns thriving in the smallest of crevices G. Lawson Bernhardi in granite or limestone outcroppings. Very common. Habitat: Wet Ferns bring a tranquil pleasure to their Common. Habitat: Moist organic organic soils in deciduous and mixed spectators, which is different to that substrates in shaded crevices and woodlands, bogs, fens, stream banks provided by the bright colours that mossy ledges on calcareous cliffs and roadside ditches. attract us to many flowering . in mixed or coniferous forests. Range: Southern half of Manitoba, In this article, I hope to update our Occasionally found on granite and but less commonly west of Red River. understanding of ferns in Manitoba other rock types, rarely on rotten logs A few northern specimens show with the use of the reliable evidence within forests. Range: It is found from a minority of characteristics of the that herbarium specimens can provide. SE and across the southern half of the Northern Lady-fern, A. filix-femina var. During the early months of 2016, province north to Lynn Lake, but also cyclosorum Ruprecht. I examined the fern collections of at Churchill where it appears to be herbaria at University of Winnipeg disjunct. 2. American Parsley-fern (UWPG), University of Manitoba (WIN), American Rockbrake4, The Manitoba Museum (MMMN) and American Rock-fern5 my own temporary collection (RS) Cryptogramma acrostichoides R. Brown but occasionally the research led to herbaria and information sources from Uncommon. Habitat: Depressions and elsewhere. crevices on granite outcrops. Range: Hopefully, the resulting annotated From SE to mid-western Manitoba. checklist will be a baseline datum for future studies and will also update the most recent list of Manitoba’s biota.1 Horsetails and moonworts are also ferns in the truest meaning of the term, but these have not been included here because they have already been fully reported in previous articles in the Blue Jay.2,3 This article is restricted to the “true” or leptosporangiate ferns. Altogether 1,421 specimens of ferns were examined, their identifications were verified and notes taken regarding their ranges and habitats. There are several common names for most kinds Figure 1. Manitoba’s commonest ferns; Eastern Lady-fern (left); Spinulose Wood-fern (right);

6 BLUE JAY fall 2016 volume 74.3 5. Mackay’s Bladder-fern 7a. Braun’s Hybrid Wood-fern 9. Fragrant Wood-fern Upland Brittlefern4 (Fig. 2) x uliginosa (A. Braun ex Fragrant fern4, Fragrant Shield-fern5 (Michaux) Desvaux Döll) Kuntze ex Druce = Dryopteris Dryopteris fragrans (Linnaeus) Schott carthusiana x D. cristata Rare. Habitat: Shady calcareous and Uncommon. Habitat: Shady, non- granite cliffs in the boreal forest. Very rare. Habitat: Mixed and calcareous cliffs on outcrops in the Range: Similar to the Fragile Bladder- coniferous forests in the vicinity of south but on exposed rock ridges fern but scarcer and more southern both parent species; specimens are northwards. Range: SE Manitoba and and eastern. Formerly known as C. sterile and show characteristics of northwards to the Nunavut border. fragilis var. mackayi Lawson but was each. This is the first report of this elevated to species status in 1983.6 hybrid for Manitoba. 10. Common Oak-fern This is the first report of this taxon Northern Oak Fern4 (Fig. 1) from Manitoba; however, specimens 8. Northern Wood-fern dryopteris at the Manitoba Museum had been Spreading Woodfern4 (Fig. 2) (Linnaeus) Newman casually annotated as “var. tenuis” by Dryopteris expansa (C. Presl) Fraser- Very common. Habitat: On moist, D. Brunton in 1986. Jenkins & Jermy organic soils in mixed and coniferous Very rare. A single specimen was woodlands or amongst rocks. 6. Spinulose Wood-fern collected from a streamside granite Range: From the Whiteshell Provincial Spinulose Shield-fern4,5 (Fig. 1) outcrop in the Gunisao Lake area Park in SE MB across Manitoba to (Villars) (53° 29’N; 96° 18’W) of mid-eastern Riding Mountain National Park and H.P. Fuchs Manitoba. This is the first report of this northwards to the Nunavut border. Very common. Habitat: Moist organic taxon from Manitoba. Although this soil, and occasionally on rocks, in specimen has all of the characteristic 11. Nahanni Oak-fern deciduous, mixed and coniferous features of the Northern Wood-fern, it Gymnocarpium jessoense (Koidzumi) forests. Range: Throughout the has been pointed out that its petiolar Koidzumi subsp. parvulum Sarvela southern half of Manitoba. bracts do not exhibit the strongly Rare. Habitat: Usually on ledges on marked central midrib usually found in limestone or granite outcrops in mixed 7. Crested Wood-fern this species (D. Brunton, pers. comm.). or coniferous forests. Crested Shield-fern4,5 Range: Similar to that of Common Dryopteris cristata (Linnaeus) A. Gray Oak-fern but much scarcer. Common. Habitat: Wet organic substrates in bogs, fens and wet scrub 11a. Intermediate Oak-fern and woodlands. Range: Southern Gymnocarpium x intermedium one-third of Manitoba. Sarvela = Gymnocarpium jessoense x G. dryopteris Very rare, but likely commoner than records indicated. Found in proximity to parent species, i.e. rocky boreal woodlands.

12. Limestone Oak-fern Gymnocarpium robertianum (Hoffmann) Newman Very rare. Habitat: Shady limestone cliffs and rocks, also cedar swamps. Range: Collected from four locations in Manitoba: north of Cranberry, 37 km and 50 km N of Grand Rapids and near the North Star Trail, E of Grand Beach Provincial Park. K. Pryer has thoroughly reviewed the occurrence of oak-ferns in Manitoba.7 Figure 1. Common Oak-fern (left); Ostrich fern (right).

fall 2016 volume 74.3 BLUE JAY 7 13. Hairy Water Clover 17. Gastony’s Cliff-brake 19. Northern Beech-fern Hairy Water Fern4, Hairy Pepperwort5, Pellaea gastonyi Windham Phegopteris connectilis (Michaux) Watt Water Shamrock (Fig. 2) Very rare. Habitat: Dolomite and Very rare. This species has only been Marsilea vestita Hooker & Greville limestone outcrops and boulders. collected twice in Manitoba: Kasmere Very rare. A single specimen (WIN Range: A few colonies are known Lake, NW Manitoba (approx. 59° 6250) is the only evidence of its from the central and northern 35’N; 101°10’W) and, secondly, Tod occurrence in Manitoba. It may Interlake region of Manitoba. These Lake, W-central Manitoba (approx.56° be more frequent but overlooked were thoroughly documented by C. 34’N; 101° 46’W). because it is inconspicuous. It occurs Friesen and C. Murray in 2015.9 in adjacent parts of Saskatchewan, 20. Siberian Polypody although not commonly5. The 18. Smooth Cliff-brake Polypodium sibiricum Siplivinsky herbarium label on the Manitoba Pellaea glabella Mettenius ex Kuhn Uncommon. Habitat: Crevices specimen indicated that it was ssp. glabella and depressions on moist, moss- collected from “Western Manitoba”, Very rare. Known from only one covered, shaded granite (occasionally but gives no additional information. location in Manitoba (49° 44’N; 95° calcareous) outcroppings. 10’W); on the Hunt Lake Hiking Trail in Range: SE to NW Manitoba. 14. Ostrich Fern (Fig.1) Whiteshell Provincial Park where it has Matteuccia struthiopteris (Linnaeus) been found growing in moist crevices 21. Common Rock Polypody Todaro var. pensylvanica (Willdenow) on a single, shaded, vertical, north- Rock Polypody4 C.V. Morton facing cliff of metamorphic rock within Polypodium virginianum Linnaeus Very common. Habitat: Wet or the boreal mixed forest. Common. Habitat: Crevices and seasonally flooded deciduous or depressions on moist, moss-covered, mixed woodlands, frequent in river 18a. Western Smooth shaded granite (occasionally bottomland forests. Range: The Cliff-brake calcareous) outcroppings. 4 southern half of Manitoba. A popular Western Dwarf Cliffbrake Range: SE to NW Manitoba. The 8 garden plant with edible fiddleheads. Pellaea glabella Mettenius ex Kuhn Common Rock Polypody is the ssp. occidentalis (E. Nelson) Windham commoner of the two Polypody 15. Sensitive Fern Rare. Habitat: Exposed and partially species in the southeast the province; Onoclea sensibilis Linnaeus shaded sites on limestone and however the Manitoba ranges of the Common. Habitat: Wet, shrubby, dolomite cliffs within the southern two species overlap. mixed or deciduous forests, swamps edge of the boreal forest. and roadside ditches. Range: Mid-western Manitoba. Range: SE Manitoba. Beaver Creek Provincial Park (51° 22’N; 96° 55’W) is the most northerly and westerly outpost for the entire range of this primarily eastern species.

16. Interrupted Fern Osmunda claytoniana Linnaeus Uncommon. Habitat: Damp locations in deciduous, mixed or coniferous forests. Range: SE Manitoba. A specimen collected from near Hamar’s Lake within Hecla Provincial Park (51° 11’N; 96° 55’W) is the most western location for this primarily eastern species.

Figure 2. From left to right: Two new ferns for Manitoba; Mackay’s Bladder-fern; Northern Wood-fern.

8 BLUE JAY fall 2016 volume 74.3 22. Eastern Bracken 25. Smooth Woodsia Bracken Fern4 Woodsia glabella R. Brown ex 27a. Hybrid Woodsia Pteridium aquilinum (Linnaeus) Kuhn Richardson Woodsia x abbeae Butters = W. var. latiusculum (Desvaux) Underwood Rare. Habitat: Shaded crevices in oregana x W. ilvensis ex A. Heller limestone and dolomite cliffs. Specimens have been collected from Common. Habitat: Well-drained Range: Northern Interlake region, among a colony of Oregon Woodsia and dry soils in mixed and coniferous westward to the Saskatchewan border. near Baker’s Narrows Provincial Park forests, or adjacent roadsides. and are the mistaken basis of a record Range: SE Manitoba with disjunct 26. Rusty Woodsia of W. scopulina for Manitoba. This colonies in Riding Mountain National (Linnaeus) R. Brown is the first report of this taxon for 10 Park and Kettle Hills. Very common. Habitat: Exposed Manitoba. crevices and depressions on Pre- 23. Marsh Fern Cambrian granite outcroppings in Synopsis of fern taxa in 4 Eastern Marsh Fern the boreal forests. Range: From Manitoba Thelypteris palustris Schott var. Whiteshell Prov. Park in SE Manitoba In Manitoba, there are 27 species, pubescens (Lawson) Fernald to the Nunavut border.12 one additional subspecies and three Uncommon. Habitat: Fens, bogs, hybrids. Perhaps not surprisingly, roadside ditches and open, wet, grassy 27. Oregon Woodsia the diversity of ferns that occur in areas in boreal woodlands.Range: SE Woodsia oregana D.C. Eaton ssp. Manitoba is not very different to 5 Manitoba with a disjunct population oregana that of Saskatchewan . However, the fern flora of Saskatchewan includes near Grand Rapids (53° 20’N; 98° 20’ Very rare. Collected from two locations W). several species that have ranges that in Manitoba; on a schist rock outcrop do not extend eastwards as far as in Baker’s Narrows Provincial Park Manitoba: Rocky Mountain Woodsia, 24. Alpine Woodsia (54° 40’N; 101° 39’W), and secondly 4 Sitka Lady-fern, Mountain Bladder- Northern Woodsia just a few kilometres closer to Flin Woodsia alpina (Bolton) S.F.Gray fern and the Male Fern. Similarly, Flon. Manitoba specimens had been Manitoba has several species that are Very rare. Habitat: moist, shaded, previously mistakenly identified as the primarily eastern and do not reach as granite or metamorphic outcroppings pubescent subspecies cathcartiana far west as Saskatchewan: Interrupted 11,12 within the boreal forest . (B.L. Robinson) Windham. Fern, Sensitive Fern, Northern Wood- Range: Collected from four sites in fern, Mackay’s Bladder-fern, Bulblet Manitoba: Tod Lake, Snow Lake, Lake Bladder-fern, Eastern Bracken, Waskaiowaka and Hunt Lake in the Limestone Oak-fern and Smooth Cliff- Whiteshell Provincial Park. W. Cody brake. Needless to say, both provinces and D. Britton have reviewed the harbour species of ferns that reach 11,12 status of Woodsia in Manitoba. their north-eastern or north-western North American range limits.

The commonest of Manitoba Ferns (Fig. 1) The sequence of species for which the most specimens had been collected was: Spinulose Wood-fern, Eastern Lady-fern, Common Oak-fern, Ostrich Fern and Rusty Woodsia. These are all common species; however, it must be borne in mind that collection biases may enter this and into the next calculation.

Figure 2. Two old, unique and mysterious Manitoba fern specimens; Bulblet Bladder-fern, Hairy water-clover.

fall 2016 volume 74.3 BLUE JAY 9 The rarest of Manitoba Ferns Two intriguing fern origin has remained a mystery. Boivin Eight Manitoba species of ferns mysteries (Fig. 2) has speculated that this specimen were particularly noteworthy for their Bulblet Bladder-fern and the Hairy had been collected from elsewhere scarcity in herbarium collections. Water-clover are each represented in in its range with the purpose of a Hairy Water-clover, Northern Wood- Manitoba’s flora by single specimens providing a sample to represent a fern and Bulblet Bladder-fern were that were collected a long time species whose distribution was once represented by single specimens. ago and have not been seen in the mistakenly considered to include Other rare ferns are Oregon Woodsia province since. Incomplete information “Eastern Manitoba.” On the other and Smooth Cliff-brake each of which on the herbarium labels has added to hand, a recent publication of ferns by had been found from single locations; their mystery and intrigue. Chadde does indicate that the species Baker’s Narrows Provincial Park and The Bulblet Bladder-fern is a species is widespread in northern Minnesota on the Hunt Lake Trail, Whiteshell of the eastern United States as far including Roseau County which is Provincial Park, respectively. Other very north and west as Minnesota and adjacent to the Manitoba border.13 rare or much localised fern species northern Ontario. A specimen was Scoggan has succinctly summarised are Northern Beech-fern, Gastony’s collected by M.W. Hutchison on July the present status of Bulblet Bladder- Cliff-brake, Limestone Oak-fern and 22, 1944 from “Eastern Manitoba” fern in Manitoba with his statement: Alpine Woodsia. The last species was and is now in the Herbarium of the ”Further collections of this species are found close to the site which bears the Manitoba Museum (MMMN 39). Its desirable to remove all doubt as to its single small colony of Smooth Cliff- identification has been verified by occurrence in the province.”14 brake and probably should receive Scoggan (1950), Boivin (1964) and The Hairy Water-clover is a strange protection. Cody (1984). Whereas, there has been fern that inhabits shallow water or no doubt about its identification, its water-edge muck. Its two kinds of leaves are “un-fernlike” in shape. The aerial or floating ones resemble the leaves of a four-leaved clover and the submerged leaves are fertile and resemble small nutlets. This strange fern is an uncommon species in the American Midwest and the three western Canadian provinces. In Saskatchewan, it is widely but uncommonly distributed across the southern part of the province5. There is a specimen in the herbarium of the University of Manitoba that is labelled “Western Manitoba” (WIN 6250) but the exact location and date of collection, and the collector’s name are not provided on the herbarium label. With reference to the occurrence of Hairy water-clover in Manitoba, Cody has made the statement: “The species should be searched for in Western Manitoba”.12

Special fern places Manitoba fern specimens had been collected from a variety of ecosystems: moist woodlands, marshes, roadsides, limestone escarpments and granite outcroppings. There were more species in the southeast quadrant of the province and the least numbers

10 BLUE JAY fall 2016 volume 74.3 in the northwest quadrant. This is 1. Punter, E. (1995) Manitoba’s Vascular unlikely to be a phenomenon that Plants. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg, MB. Call for is entirely related to collection bias because those ecosystems with few 2. Staniforth, R.J. (2013). Horsetails and Regional species outside of the southeast scouring-rushes (Equisetum spp.) in Manitoba. Blue Jay 71(1) 48-67. Coordinators corner were those which were prone Saskatchewan to forest fires, dry sandy substrates 3. Staniforth, R.J. (2011) Ophioglossid ferns in Manitoba: moonworts, grapeferns and in pine forests or in areas of intense Breeding Bird Atlas northern adder’s-tongue. Blue Jay 69(2) agriculture. Limestone escarpments 75-87. Bird Studies Canada is currently harbour interesting fern species such 4. The Flora of Association seeking volunteers to serve as as the Smooth and Gastony’s Cliff- (1993) Flora of North America. Vol 2: Regional Coordinators (RCs) to brakes, Smooth Woodsia and the Pteridophytes and Gymnosperms. Oxford help manage coverage of the Limestone Oak-fern, and yet these University Press, Inc. New York, NY. Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas. habitats are vulnerable to quarrying 5. Harms, V.L. and Leighton, A.L. (2011). The Atlas is scheduled to run from which may put their inhabitants at Ferns and fern allies of Saskatchewan. 2017 to 2021 and aims to document risk. Two specific non-limestone sites Flora of Saskatchewan Fascicle 1. Nature the distribution and abundance of are also particularly noteworthy, firstly Saskatchewan Special Publication #30. Publ. by Flora of Saskatchewan breeding birds across the province. Baker’s Lake Provincial Park in which Association and Nature Saskatchewan, Regional Coordinators play a vital Manitoba’s only colony of Oregon Regina, SK. Woodsia is to be found, and secondly role in the success of an Atlas: 6. Moran, R.C. (1983) Cystopteris tenuis they act as the main contact and the Hunt Lake Trail in the Whiteshell (Michx.) Desv.: A poorly understood information source for participants Provincial Park where cliffs support the species. Castanea 48: 218-223. within their region; and they work only Manitoba colony of the Smooth 7. Pryer, K. M. (1990) The limestone oak with Atlas staff to ensure that Cliff-brake (Pellaea glabella glabella), fern: New to Manitoba. Blue Jay 48(4): as well as a few plants of the rare 192-195. regional coverage targets and data Alpine Woodsia. 8. Greenwood, D. R. (2015) Ferns for quality standards are met. People I am very grateful to Diana Bizecki Canadian gardens, with fronds like these interested in serving as RCs should Robson and Janis Klapecki at the who needs anemones? The Gardener have solid bird identification skills Manitoba Museum, to German 21(3) 20-26. and knowledge of the breeding birds Avila-Sakar at the University of 9. Friesen, C. and Murray, C. (2015). likely to be found in their region. Winnipeg and to Bruce Ford at the Gastony’s Cliffbrake (Pellaea gastonyi) in Regions for the southern half of Manitoba: new records and assessment University of Manitoba for allowing the province are currently based on of conservation status. Canadian Field- me to study their Manitoba fern Naturalist 129(1): 45-52. birding districts; however, these will collections. Also, Jessica Elliott and 10. Cody, W.J. (1988) Plants of Riding be modified based on the locations Jason Kelly of Parks Branch, Manitoba Mountain National Park. Publication of our RCs and from input at our Conservation who facilitated collection 1818/E, Research Branch, Agriculture Fall 2016 Regional Coordinator permits for provincial parks. Thanks Canada, Ottawa, ON. meeting. We will be hosting the go to Chris Friesen and staff at the 11. Cody, W.J. and Lafontaine, J.D. (1975) Regional Coordinator meeting at a Manitoba Conservation Data Centre The fern genus Woodsia in Manitoba. scenic location over the weekend The Canadian Field-Naturalist 89: 66-69. for information on rare fern sites and of October 29-30, 2016. It will be to Dan Brunton for stimulating and 12. Cody, W.J. and Britton, D.M. (1989) The a great opportunity to learn more interesting discussions about many ferns and fern allies of Canada. Ottawa, about the project, meet the Atlas issues concerning ferns. I am most ON. staff and your fellow RCs, and to grateful to both the anonymous 13. Chadde, S.W. (2013) Midwest Ferns. A enjoy some fall birdwatching. If reviewer and to editor Annie McLeod field guide to the ferns and fern relatives you are interested in making this for their encouragement and excellent of the north central United States. Self-published by S.W. Chadde. Printed significant contribution to the advice. by CreateSpace Independent Printing Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas Platform. USA. by serving as a Regional Coordinator 14. Scoggan, H.J. (1957) The flora of and would like more information, Manitoba. National Museum of Canada. Bulletin No. 140. Biological Sciences No. please contact Bird Studies Canada 47. Department of Northern Affairs and at [email protected] or call us National Resources, Ottawa, ON. at 306-249-2894.

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