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TO KNOW in re on FEDERAL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE OREGON STATE COLLEGE,CORVALLIS Cooperative Extension work in Agriculture and Home Economics, F. E. Price, director. Oregon State College and the United States Department of Agriculture cooperating. Printed and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Extension Bulletin 785 September 1959 FERN TERMS Evergreen. Said of plants whose leaves re- Pinna. A primary division of a fern leaf. main green at least until new ones are formed, (The plural of pinna is pinnae.) and of leaves that remain green more than a year. Pinnule. A secondary division of a fern leaf. Fertile leaf. A leaf that bears fruit dots or spore cases. Rhizoid. Simple hair-like structures of a Frond. The leaf of a fern. prothallium, functioning as roots. Fruit band. A line of spore cases, instead Rhizone. A somewhat horizontal and us- of fruit dots, appearing on the margin or un- ually elongated creeping subterranean stem. der surface of fertile leaves of some ferns. Rootstock. Rhizome. Stem. Fruit dots. Small groups of spore cases appearing on the underside of fertile leaves. Sorus. A cluster of sporangia. (Plural of Habitat. The typicalsituation under sorus is son.) which a plant grows. Sporangia. (Spore cases.) The vessels Indusium. The shield-like cover of a where spores are formed. sorus. Spore. The small nonsexual fruit of the Leaflet. One of the divisions of a com- fern. A cell that functions as a seed. pound leaf. Midvein. The central and most prominent Stipe. Leafstalk. vein of a pinna or pinnule. Vegetative leaf. A leaf that has the chief Nonfertile leaf. Sterile leaf, one without function of forming food as distinguished fruit dots. from one that produces spores. SORI (fruit dots) INDUSIUM r OR SHIELD PRIMARY LEAFLET (covering of Sorus) / OR PINNA ,pplar-gy (main leaf division) SORUS (cluster of Sporangia) --SECONDARY LEAFLET rao OR PINNULE SPORANGIUM (smallest leaf division) (discharging spores) FERN LEAF OR FROND FERTILE LEAFLET OR PINNULE Acknowledgments This bulletin was prepared by Charles R. Ross, Dr. Helen M. Gilkey, former curator of the Herbarium, Extension farm forestry specialist, Oregon State Col- also gave assistance. Drawings are by Mrs. Cathrine lege. Mrs. Elizabeth Rainey, of Corvallis, assisted both Davis Young. in collecting the material and organizing the manuscript. For further information on Northwest ferns, the The author acknowledges considerable advice and author highly recommends the book, "Ferns of the assistance from the late Dr. A. N. Steward, curator of Northwest," by T. C. Frye, published in 1934 by Bin- the OSC Herbarium, who made valuable suggestions and fords and Mort, Portland, Oregon. It was the principal checked accuracy of plant descriptions and drawings. reference in preparing this leaflet. INTRODUCTION Along most streams in the Northwest in moist, Variation. Ferns are most abundant in wet regions, shady woods you can find at least seven ferns, usually but some are found in extremely dry areas that have within a short time. These ferns are bracken, sword, wetperiods. Some grow submerged, someflloat, maidenhair, lady, deer, spreading wood, and licorice. some grow in trees (mainly Polypodium in our region). This bulletin describes and illustrates the following Foliages vary from a single, untoothed blade to numer- species : ous intricate leaves each composed of many leaflets Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) (lady fern); from thin blades (maidenhair fern) to Sword (Polystichurn muniturn) tough leathery ones (deer fern); from annual leaves Maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) (brake) to evergreen ones (sword). Ferns of temper- Lady (Athyrium filix-femina) ate regions have scarcely any evident stems, the visible Oak (Dryopteris linnaeana) parts being almost entirely leaf structures; some have Spreading Wood (Dryopteris dilatata) short carrot-like stems covered by leaf bases; some Deer (Struthiopteris spicant) have subterranean creeping stems (licorice), and some Licorice (Poly podium vulgare) in the tropics have tall erect trunks (tree ferns). Giant Chain ( Woodwardia radicans) Parsley (Cryptogramma acrostichoides) Structure and reproduction. A fern has these Bladder (Cystopteris fragilis) parts:leaf or frond;leafstalk or stipe; an under- Lace (Cheilanthes gracillima) ground or undersurface stem or rootstock (rhizome); Sierra Water (Dryopteris oregana) and fine,fiber-like roots. The leaf and leafstalk of Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes) Northwest ferns are above ground. Sierra Cliff Brake (Pellaea brachyptera) In the structure of their roots, stems, and leaves, Oregon Woodsia ( Woodsia oregana) and in their manner of vegetative reproduction, ferns Gold (Pityrogramnsa triangularis) resemble the seed plants with which they often are com- Others briefly described or mentioned are these bined under the heading "Higher Plants." However, species: in their reproduction by spores, ferns resemble fungi, Holly (Polystichum lonchitis) lichens, and mosses with which they are sometimes in- Male (Dryopteris filix-mas) cluded as "Lower Plants." Coastal Wood (Dryopteris arguta) The spores of ferns are very small single-celled Leathery Polypod (Poly podium scouleri) bodies, growing in smallcases(called sporangia), Slender Rock Brake (Cryptogramma stelleri) crowded in fruit dots, bands, lines, or areas (called Oregon Cliff Brake (Cheilanthes densa) son) on the lower surfaces of fern leaves (frequently Slender Lip (Cheilanthes feei) spoken of as fronds). These leaves often are divided Coastal Lip (Cheilanthes covillei) into leaflets (called pinnae). Coffee (Pellaea andromedaefolia) A leaf that bears son i is called "fertile;" a leaf with- Brewer's Cliff Brake (Pellaea breweri) out son iis called "sterile." On backs of fertile leaves, Bridges' Cliff Brake (Pallaea bridgesii) at certain seasons, fruit dots may be found. A single Rocky Mountain Woodsia (Woodsia scopulina) fruit dot (sorus) seen through a magnifying glass will Information on the ranges of these ferns is con- appear as a cluster of small sacs (sporangia) contain- fined generally to Oregon and Washington and may not ing spores. The spore is the very small fruit of a fern, indicate their occurrence or abundance elsewhere. and while it does serve to reproduce the plant, it is not a seed for it has no embryo. From the spore grows a Explanation of field characters. Under this head- delicate, green, leaflike form known as prothallium. It ing are noted distinctive characteristics of the species may be a quarter of an inch across. It develops hair- that will help you recognize it in the field. You need a like rhizoids and also two sets of organs, egg cases and pocket magnifying glass to see some of the features. sperm cases, that correspond in function to the stamens Many species. The Pacific Northwest has well over and pistils of flowers. Union of the sperm with the egg 50 species of ferns but many are varieties found closely starts a new fern. For a fern to grow from a spore to resembling ferns described in this circular. For ex- mature size takes several years. ample, the genus Dryopteris is known to have seven The form and arrangement of the spore-bearing species in the region, three described in detail and two structures are of great importance in the classification of others briefly mentioned. Species omitted are not seen ferns, as are the form and structure of flowers and often. fruits in the classification of seed plants. 1 Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum) Everybody knows it. The coarse appearance of bracken fern and its tendency to form a dense cover make it easily known. The usual height is 2 to 6 feet, but it can grow tall enough to conceal a man on horseback. Bracken invades fields like a conquering host, becoming a troublesome weed. It loves a damp climate but is remarkably resistant todrought. Where grasses and field crops turn yellow, the brake will hold its own. Grows in other lands. Bracken fern is widespread in the northern hemisphere. It has only one species, of which that in the Northwest is a variety. Although seen everywhere, it is most abundant and largest in the Cascades and westward, at- taining a luxuriant growth in the coast mountains. The name "brake" or bracken, which traces back into a number of European languages, may have come from the broken appear- ance of the fern cover after the firstheavy frost. The leaves lie collapsed like a miniature forest hit by a tornado. Underground stems store food. Because nu- erousfern rootstocks (rhizomes)lie deep in the ground, store much nourishment,andcon- tinuetosend up new leaves,itisdifficult to eradicatefern.Indians dug up the underground rootstocks, roasted them, and extracted a starchy food. The young shoots have served as food in several countries.Graz- ing of brake may poison cattle. The fern often is used by hunters and camp- ers to make a soft bed. Field characters: Fruit line under recurved margin of leaflet. 2 Sword Fern (Polvstichum munitum) Carries sword. The smallest division of the sword fern leaf resembles a short, broad sword. The name is derived from this characteristic. The slim, curving- leaves rise from large, circular clusters, so distinctive you can spot them from afar. The leaves are evergreen and may reach a height of 4 feet or more, but are commonly 1 to 3 feet. Fern of the deep forest. This tough, coarse fern is found throughout the Northwest, especially where the forest makes good shade. Best growth occurs under dense fir, hemlock, and spruce forests west of the coast range. The genus Polystichuni is represented by at least two other species in Oregon and five in Washington. One is the small but pleasing holly fern described below. However, only sword fern is common. Big business. Sword fern is used for making sprays and wreaths, and carloads are shipped under refrigeration to florists throughout the nation. Although the fern is found on thousands of acres of Northwest timberland, hardly 1% of the area is covered by fern pickers.