Woodwardia virginica — Virginia chain fern
![Leaf: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-le-ahaines.jpg)
![Detail of leaf and/or divisions: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By David Stone. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-ld-dstone.jpg)
![Sori: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By Louis-M. Landry. ~ Copyright © 2024 Louis-M. Landry. ~ LM.Landry[at]videotron.ca ~ CalPhotos - calphotos.berkeley.edu/flora/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-so-llandry.jpg)
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Facts
One of the taller ferns in New England, Virginia chain fern tends to grow in lines rather than clumps.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), bogs, marshes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- 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)
- Plant growth form
- the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
- Spore-bearing leaflets
- the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to 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
- 28–60 cm
- Leaf vein tips
- the veins go all the way to the edge of the leaf blade
-
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
- 28–60 cm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blades are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
- 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
- there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk length
- 230–805 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 only on the lower half of the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk scales
- the leaf stalk has scales
- Leaf stalk vessels
- 3 to 9 bundles
- Leaf vein branching
- the secondary veins of the leaf blade split and rejoin to form a netlike pattern
- 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
- 60–160 mm
- Lobe or leaflet pairs
- 12–23
- 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
- 10–35 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
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- edges of wetlands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- marshes
- 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
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Woodwardia virginica (L.) Smith N
Virginia chain fern. Blechnum virginicum L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Acid soil of swamps, bogs, marshes, and ditches.