Mountain wood fern facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mountain wood fern |
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| Mountain wood fern (Dryopteris campyloptera) | |
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| Genus: |
Dryopteris
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| Species: |
campyloptera
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The mountain wood fern (Dryopteris campyloptera) is a large fern that grows in America. You can find it in places that are high up, like mountains, or in cooler northern areas. This fern used to be known by a different name, Dryopteris spinulosa var. americana. Sometimes, people have also called it D. austriaca or D. dilatata by mistake.
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About the Mountain Wood Fern
The mountain wood fern is a special plant. It is known for its large size. It thrives in cooler climates and higher elevations. This means you will often see it in mountainous regions. You can also find it in northern parts of America.
What Makes This Fern Special?
One unique thing about the mountain wood fern is how its leaves are shaped. Fern leaves are called fronds. Each frond has smaller parts called pinnae. These pinnae have even smaller parts called pinnules. On the lowest pinnae, the very first pinnule on the inside is quite long. It is about the same length as the first two pinnules above it. This helps scientists tell it apart from other ferns.
How This Fern Was Formed
The mountain wood fern is a type of hybrid species. This means it was created naturally from two different parent ferns. Its parents are Dryopteris intermedia and Dryopteris expansa. The mountain wood fern looks a lot like its parent, Dryopteris expansa. It is also a tetraploid species. This means it has four sets of chromosomes, not the usual two.
Where Does the Mountain Wood Fern Grow?
This fern likes specific places to grow. In West Virginia, you can only find it in very high places. It grows above 3,800 feet (about 1,158 meters) in elevation. But if you go to northern New England, it is a common plant. It grows there as part of the normal plant life.
