May 19, 2008
Two Osmundas
Cinnamon Fern, Osmunda cinnamomea
and Interrupted Fern, Osmunda claytoniana
The non-fertile fronds of these two native ferns look very much alike, but the fertile fronds (those producing spores) are very different. The fertile fronds of the Cinnamon Fern are tall brown spikes arising in the center of the plant. In the Interrupted fern, the spores are produced on pinules (side branches of the frond) in the middle of each frond. These plants are growing in the planting beds near the Water Department building.