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Woodwardia areolata — netted chain fern

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Facts

The veins on the underside of the fronds of netted chain fern are raised and form a net-like pattern. The sterile and fertile fronds are distinctively different.

Habitat

Bogs, meadows and fields, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Characteristics

Habitat
wetlands
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Rhode Island
Leaf divisions
  • the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
  • the leaf blade is lobed
Plant growth form
the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
Spore-bearing leaflets
the spore-bearing fronds are dramatically different from the sterile fronds
Sorus shape
the sori are long and narrow, and straight
Leaf stalk scales
the leaf stalk has scales
Leaf stalk hairs
there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
Leaf blade length
13–27 cm
Leaf vein tips
  • the veins end in small round expanded areas, and do not reach the edge of the leaf blade
  • the veins go all the way to the edge of the leaf blade
Show all 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 dramatically different from the sterile fronds

  • Leaves

    Features of leaves
    there are no special features on the leaves
    Leaf blade length
    13–27 cm
    Leaf blade shape
    the leaf blades are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
    Leaf blade width
    At least 6 cm
    Leaf divisions
    • the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
    • the leaf blade is lobed
    Leaf lifespan
    the leaves drop off in winter
    Leaf stalk color
    yellow to brown
    Leaf stalk hairs
    there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
    Leaf stalk length
    37–486 mm
    Leaf stalk relative length
    the leaf stalk is more 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 split and rejoin to form a netlike pattern
    Leaf vein tips
    • the veins end in small round expanded areas, and do not reach the edge of the leaf blade
    • 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
    30–110 mm
    Lobe or leaflet pairs
    7–12
    Lobe or leaflet shape
    • the lobe or leaflet is extremely narrow, thread-like
    • the lobe or leaflet is widest below the middle and tapering at both ends; lance-shaped
    Lobe or leaflet width
    2–25 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 an edge with teeth

  • Place

    Habitat
    wetlands
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • New Hampshire
    • Rhode Island
    Specific habitat
    • bogs
    • edges of wetlands
    • meadows or fields
    • swamps

  • Spores or spore cones

    Sorus features
    there are no special features on the sorus
    Sorus shape
    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 only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
present
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Maine
historical (S-rank: SH), potentially extirpated (code: PE)
Massachusetts
fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
New Hampshire
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

1.  Woodwardia areolata (L.) T. Moore N

netted chain fern. Lorinseria areolata (L.) K. Presl, nom. illeg.; Woodwardia onocleoides Willd. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI. Acid soils of swamps, wetland borders, low fields, seeps, and bogs. Several characters set Woodwardia areolata apart from other members of the genus. On such evidence, generic segregation has been proposed (as Lorinseria areolata, an illegitimate name because Lorinseria C. Presl is considered an orthographic variant of Lorinsera Opiz). Sterile specimens are sometimes confused with vegetative leaves of Onoclea sensibilis. 
They can be separated through the entire or merely undulate leaflets in O. sensibilis that 
have a narrow, pale, marginal membrane vs. serrulate leaflets in W. areolata that lack 
a pale, marginal membrane.

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Onoclea sensibilis:
vegetative leaves with leaf lobe margins entire to undulate and with a pale, marginal membrane (vs. W. areolata, with vegetative leaves with leaf lobe margins minutely toothed and lacking a pale, marginal membrane).

Synonyms

  • Acrostichum areolatum L.
  • Lorinseria areolata (L.) K. Presl, an illegitimate name
  • Woodwardia onocleoides Willd.

Family

Blechnaceae

Genus

Woodwardia