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Morphology
- Culm
- Creeping, to 6 inches long, old petiole bases congested; scales tan to pale brown, linear-lanceolate, .08 to .12 inch, glabrous.
- Leaves
- Petiole usually with dark brown base, golden-brown distally, 1.2 to 10 inches long, shorter than blade; blade triangular, 3 to 18 inches long, 1 to 5.5 inches wide, (widest at base), bi-pinnatifid, apex acuminate; pinnae short petiolate, generally perpendicular to rachis, mostly opposite, deltoid to lanceolate, .6 to 3 inches long, .2 to 1.4 inches wide, margins serrate, apex acute to acuminate; pinnules obtusely lobed and toothed, veins running to the teeth and sinuses, pinnules near apex with parallel sides and strongly ascending; indusium cup-shaped, somewhat glandular; sori discrete, round, spiny.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Moist woodlands, shaded limestone or sandstone crevices or ledges.
- Distribution
- East 1/2 of Kansas
Practical Information
- Uses
- The Cherokee took a compound infusion for chills and the Navajo applied a cold, compound infusion on injuries.
Additional Notes
Comments
The leaves die back in winter. Cystopteris, Greek "Kystos", bladder, and "pteris", fern, alluding to the inflated indusium when young.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Sedge
- Family
- Dryopteridaceae - Wood Fern Family
- Life Span
- Perennial
- Height
- To 12 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2019-02-26
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July, August, September