Plantae > Tracheophyta > Polypodiopsida > Osmundales > Osmundaceae > Osmunda > Osmunda regalis

Osmunda regalis (royal fern)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Osmunda regalis, or royal fern, is a species of deciduous fern, native to Europe, Africa and Asia, growing in woodland bogs and on the banks of streams. The species is sometimes known as flowering fern due to the appearance of its fertile fronds.
View Wikipedia Record: Osmunda regalis

Infraspecies

Osmunda regalis regalis
Osmunda regalis unranked

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Medium-Low
Screening - Summer [2]  Dense
Screening - Winter [2]  Porous
Drought Tolerance [2]  Low
Fire Tolerance [2]  Low
Frost Free Days [2]  3 months 20 days
Fruit/Seed Abundance [2]  None
Growth Form [2]  Rhizomatous
Growth Period [2]  Spring, Summer, Fall
Growth Rate [2]  Moderate
Hazards [3]  Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable; Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase;
Leaf Type [2]  Deciduous
Lifespan [3]  Perennial
Propagation [2]  Container, Cutting, Seed, Sprig
Root Depth [2]  16 inches (41 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [2]  None
Shape/Orientation [2]  Semi-Erect
Structure [3]  Fern
Usage [3]  The hairs of the plant are mixed with wool and are used in making cloth; The roots are the source of 'Osmunda fibre', this was once widely used for potting orchids and other epiphytes; Plants can be grown as a ground cover when spaced about 1 metre apart each way;
Vegetative Spread Rate [2]  Rapid
Fall Conspicuous [2]  Yes
Height [3]  6.56 feet (2 m)
Width [3]  39 inches (1 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [2]  USDA Zone: 3 Low Temperature: -40 F° (-40 C°) → -30 F° (-34.4 C°)
Light Preference [4]  Mixed Sun/Shade
Soil Acidity [4]  Moderate Acid
Soil Fertility [4]  Mostly Infertile
Soil Moisture [4]  Wet
Water Use [2]  High
Foliage Color [2]  Dark Green
View Plants For A Future Record : Osmunda regalis

Protected Areas

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Predators

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
♦ 2USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 3Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 4ECOFACT 2a Technical Annex - Ellenberg’s indicator values for British Plants, M O Hill, J O Mountford, D B Roy & R G H Bunce (1999)
♦ 5Jorrit H. Poelen, James D. Simons and Chris J. Mungall. (2014). Global Biotic Interactions: An open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics.
♦ 6HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
♦ 7FERN FEEDING ECOLOGY OF THE AZORES BULLFINCH PYRRHULA MURINA: THE SELECTION OF FERN SPECIES AND THE INFLUENCE OF NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION IN FERN CHOICE, M. L. AROSA, J. A. RAMOS, T. VALKENBURG, R. CEIA, H. LABORDA, L. G. QUINTANILLA and R. HELENO, Ardeola 56(1), 2009, 71-84
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0