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Narrow Buckler-Fern

Narrow Buckler-Fern

Dryopteris carthusiana

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How common: Very common

Narrow Buckler-Fern is a woodland fern that forms neat, upright clumps about 30–50 cm tall. It grows on fresh to moist ground in many kinds of forests and along damp edges. It spreads by spores released from the undersides of the leaves. Poisonous—do not eat.

Did you know?

  • Many leaves stay green, flattened under the snow through winter.
  • Its scientific name honors the 1700s botanist Johann Friedrich Cartheuser.

About the species

Identification

Forms tufts from a short, thick underground stem. Leaves 30–50 cm, mostly upright and narrow. The leaf stalk is about as long as the leafy part, with pale brown flakes and a reddish-brown base. Leaves are finely divided 2–3 times into many narrow, sharp-toothed segments. On the lowest side leaflets, the largest inner segment is under half the length of that leaflet; these lowest leaflets often lack spore dots. Round brown spore dots appear on the underside in summer. Compared with Broad and Northern Buckler-ferns, it is narrower and more upright, without strongly enlarged lowest side leaflets.

Plant group

Ferns, horsetails and clubmosses

Habitat

heath forest

Toxicity

A poisonous plant – do not taste it. Source: HUS Poison Information Centre (Finland), tel. 0800 147 111.

About the habitat

Prefers fresh to moist, slightly acidic ground in conifer and mixed forests, rich woods, swampy patches, rock seepage areas, meadows and ditch banks. Tolerates some sun and often benefits from forest openings. Found throughout Finland; becomes scarcer northwards and is rather rare in Lapland.

Sources

Photo: Wasp32, CC BY 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dryopteris carthusiana1.jpg

Text: Pinkka: Luonnonvaraiset lääkekasvit - Sanikkaiset, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: Kasvitieteen retkeily Ahvenanmaalle - Järsö, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: Kasvien talvi - Koululaisille: talvivihreät kasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Itämeri: rehevät rannikkometsät, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: A Pohjolan kasveja - Saniaiset ja liekokasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: BIO-515 Etelä-Suomen putkilokasvit - Saniaiset ja liekokasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Pinkka: Kasvien talvi - Talvivihreät luonnonkasvit, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.37752

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mets%C3%A4alvejuuri

See also