Scientific Name:
Gymnocarpium dryopteris
Pronunciation:
jim-no-KAR-pee-um dry-OP-tur-iss
Common Name:
oak fern
Family Name:
Cystopteridaceae
Plant Type:
Fern
Key ID Features:
Leaves tri-pinnately compound, triangle-shaped, yellow-green/turns dark green; sub-leaflets oblong when young/lobed when mature; sporangia tiny clusters along margins, rust-brown.
Habit:
Arching, Upright
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like, Oval - horizontal
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Canada - northern, Europe, U.S. - northeast, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Alpine, Aquatic - ponds, Container planting, Ground cover, Group or mass planting, Mixed shrub border, Small garden/space, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown include G. 'Plumosum'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound, Fern-like
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Compound Leaf:
Tripinnate
Colour in Fall:
Green
Shapes:
Deltoid
Apices:
Acute
Margins:
Crenate
Inflorescence Type:
Flower Morphology:
Colour (petals):
No flowers
Flower Time at Peak:
Fruit Type:
Sporangium (spores)
Fruit Colour:
Green-yellow
Fruiting Time:
Bark or Stem Colour:
n/a
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes
Propagation:
Spore, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Other:
Source of habit image: http://honeybee.helsinki.fi/USERS/KORPELA/gymnocarpium_dryopteris.html Source of leaf image: http://www.lino.com/~vmartino/images/eng/gymnocarpium_dryopteris.htm
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
