Deparia acrostichoides — silvery false spleenwort

Characteristics

• Growth form

  Life form

  the plant is herbaceous and terrestrial

  Life stage

  the plant is visible as a typical leaf-bearing fern (sporophyte)

  Spore-bearing leaflets

  the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to the sterile fronds

• Leaves

  Features of leaves

  there are no special features on the leaves

  Leaf blade length

  30–80 cm

  Leaf blade shape

  • the leaf blades are longer than wide, with roughly parallel sides (oblong)
  • the leaf blades are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)

  Leaf blade tip shape

  the tip of the leaf blade is tapered to a narrow point (acuminate)

  Leaf blade width

  At least 12 cm

  Leaf divisions

  • the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
  • the leaf blade is twice compound (divided into leaflets, which are further divided into leaflets)

  Leaf lifespan

  the leaves drop off in winter

  Leaf stalk color

  yellow to brown

  Leaf stalk hairs

  the leaf stalk has hairs

  Leaf stalk length

  100–750 mm

  Leaf stalk relative length

  the leaf stalk is more than a quarter, but less than three quarters as long as the blade

  Leaf stalk scale location

  the scales are present on both the lower and upper halves of the leaf stalk

  Leaf stalk scales

  the leaf stalk has scales

  Leaf stalk vessels

  2 bundles

  Leaf vein branching

  • the secondary veins of the leaf blade are not branched
  • the secondary veins of the leaf blade branch dichotomously (two equal branches at each branch point)

  Leaf vein tips

  the veins go all the way to the edge of the leaf blade

  Leaflet relative size

  the bottom leaflets are about half as long as, to slightly longer than, the leaflets from the middle of the frond

  Leaflet stalks

  the leaflets do not have stalks

  Lobe or leaflet length

  7–20 mm

  Lobe or leaflet pairs

  15–20

  Lobe or leaflet shape

  • the lobe or leaflet is extremely narrow, thread-like
  • the lobe or leaflet is rectangular but with rounded ends (oblong)

  Lobe or leaflet width

  Up to 4 mm

  Plant growth form

  the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground

  final leaf segment margin

  the topmost lobe or leaflet of the leaf blade has a smooth or lobed edge

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  forests

• Spores or spore cones

  Sorus features

  there are no special features on the sorus

  Sorus shape

  • the sori are long and narrow, and curved
  • the sori are long and narrow, and straight

  Sporangia location

  the spores are clustered on sori on the lower surface of the leaf blade

  Sporangium type

  the sporangia are opaque without an annulus and usually without a stalk (leptosporangiate)

  Spore forms

  there is only one type of spore present

Wetland status

Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)

In New England

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key