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Woodwardia radicans

(European Chain Fern)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

European Chain Fern, Rooting Chainfern

Description

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Family Blechnaceae

Plants perennial , mostly terrestrial , occasionally on rock or epiphytic. Stems creeping to suberect or ascending , sometimes climbing [rarely arborescent ], slender to stout, dictyostelic, scaly . Leaves monomorphic or dimorphic , large and coarse , generally greater than 30 cm, often exceeding 1 m. Petiole not articulate , generally more than 2 vascular bundles arranged in arc, generally scaly at least at base . Blade often anthocyanic (reddish) when young, pinnatifid [rarely simple ] to pinnate-pinnatifid or 2-pinnate [rarely decompound ], glabrous or occasionally bearing scales or capitate glands . Rachis frequently grooved adaxially. Veins of sterile leaves generally free , rarely anastomosing, veins of fertile leaves united to form sorus-bearing secondary vein parallel to costa or costule (vascular commisure), sometimes anastomosing further. Sori elongate along secondary vein; indusia present [rarely absent], opening along costal side of fertile vein, frequently hidden by dehisced sporangia; sporangial stalk of 3 rows of cells . Spores monolete, reniform ; perine present, variously ornamented. Gametophytes green, cordate, sometimes bearing capitate hairs, antheridia and archegonia borne on lower surface.

Genera ca. 10, species ca. 250 (2 genera, 6 species in the flora ) : mostly tropical and south temperate (except Woodwardia, which is north temperate) .

Circumscription of genera is controversial, especially as to placement of those species now included in Blechnum . Characteristics holding the family together include the anastomoses of veins along the axes of the blade to form a series of areoles or a single continuous vein along which the sorus is borne, elongate sori with indusia opening toward midvein , bilateral spores, and chromosome base numbers of generally x = 28--36. Relationships of the family with both dryopteroid and athyrioid ferns have been suggested.[1]

Genus Woodwardia

Plants terrestrial or rarely on rock. Stems long-creeping to erect , slender to stout, not climbing ; scales brown. Leaves monomorphic (dimorphic in 1 species), clustered or well separated. Blades pinnate or pinnatifid . Rachises and costae scaly . Veins anastomosing in both sterile and fertile leaves, forming a regular series of areoles along costae and costules , further anastomosing in 1 species. Sori discrete, in chainlike rows along costae or costules, extending only the length of individual areolar veins. Spores with perine irregularly folded. x = 34, 35.

Species 14: North America, Central America, Mediterranean Europe, e Asia.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Forb/herb

Flowers: Flower Color: inconspicuous, none

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 36-48" tall.

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 4-6' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 6.6 • Maximum pH: 7.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Light Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Notes

Publishing author : Sm. Publication : M?m. Acad. Roy. Sci. (Turin) 5. 412. 1793. HB. 188. Chr. 186. NPfl. 253

Basionym author: (L.)

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Woodwardia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 7 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

W. areolata (Chainfern) · W. fimbriata (Giant Chain Fern) · W. orientalis (Oriental Chain Fern) · W. orientalis var. formosana (Oriental Chain Fern) · W. radicans (European Chain Fern) · W. unigemmata (Chain Fern) · W. virginica (Virginia Chain Fern)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Raymond B. Cranfill "Blechnaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Raymond B. Cranfill "Woodwardia". in Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/15/2012