North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Dryopteris intermedia

Dryopteris intermedia (Muhl. ex Willd.) A. Gray

fancy fern, evergreen wood-fern, intermediate woodfern

Synonym(s): Dryopteris austriaca var. intermedia, Dryopteris spinulosa var. concordiana, Dryopteris spinulosa var. intermedia

Image ID: 12931
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: DRIN5
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dryopteris intermedia
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2020-01-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: DRYOP
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Dryopteris
GENUS AUTHORITY: Adans.
GENUS COMMON: Woodfern
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 400 species, nearly cosmopolitan, but concentrated in temperate Asia. Sessa, Zimmer, & Givnish (2012) discuss the phylogeny and biogeography of Dryopteris; the clades shown in the key are from their work.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: Dryopteris and Athyrium are often confused when not fertile; they can be easily distinguished by breaking off a leaf and counting vascular bundles (which will appear as thread-like strands). Dryopteris has 5 and Athyrium has 2. Many Dryopteris species will hybridize with one another to form sterile hybrids. Whenever two or more Dryopteris species are found growing together, there is a good chance that hybrids are present. Hybrids generally show intermediacy between the two parents, and have abortive sporangia or spores.
GENUS REFERENCES: Montgomery & Wagner in FNA (1993b); Sessa, Zimmer, & Givnish (2012); Montgomery & Paulton (1981); Montgomery (1982); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990); Hoshizaki & Wilson (1999).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: DRYOPT
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Dryopteridaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Ching 1965
FAMILY COMMON: Wood-fern Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 40-45 genera and 1700 species, cosmopolitan in distribution, but concentrated in temperate and montane areas. Here circumscribed (following Smith et al. 2006) to exclude Onocleaceae and Woodsiaceae.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Smith in FNA (1993b); Smith et al. (2006); Lellinger (1985); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb, Fern

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Bi-pinnate
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Jun-Sep

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
					x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
											x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: eastern North America

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
967	1985-0660			View
3410	1991-0041			View
5106	1995-0225			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1790	967	11	NCBG staff	1985-02-20	View
1791	967	76	NCBG staff	1985-02-20	View
1792	967	78	NCBG staff	1985-02-20	View
1793	967	145	NCBG staff	1985-02-20	View
1794	967	189	NCBG staff	1985-02-20	View
5650	3410	11	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
7528	5106	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: DRIN5
USDA Common Name: Intermediate Woodfern
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), SPM (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NF, NS, ON, PE, QC), FRA (SPM)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU			FAC	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP ID	S RANK	ROUNDED S RANK	G RANK	ROUNDED G RANK	STATE STATUS	FEDERAL STATUS
20966	S5	S5	G5	G5	W6

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dryopteris intermedia
COMMON NAME: Fancy Fern, Evergreen Wood-fern
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, Il, K, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Va, W, WV; = D. spinulosa (O.F. Mueller) Watt var. intermedia (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) Underwood - F; = D. austriaca (Jacquin) Woynar ex Schinz & Thellung var. intermedia (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) Morton - G]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-Sep.
HABITAT: Cove forests, other moist, rocky forests, over a variety of substrates.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) west to MN, south to n. GA and s. MO. This species is one of the diploid parent species of the e. North American reticulately-evolved Dryopteris complex. Its genome (symbolized II) forms half of the genome of the tetraploids D. campyloptera and D. carthusiana.
RANGE MAP: Dryopteris intermedia.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Dryopteridaceae Ching 1965 (Wood-fern Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 40-45 genera and 1700 species, cosmopolitan in distribution, but concentrated in temperate and montane areas. Here circumscribed (following Smith et al. 2006) to exclude Onocleaceae and Woodsiaceae.
REFERENCE: Smith in FNA (1993b); Smith et al. (2006); Lellinger (1985); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Dryopteris Adans. (Woodfern)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 400 species, nearly cosmopolitan, but concentrated in temperate Asia. Sessa, Zimmer, & Givnish (2012) discuss the phylogeny and biogeography of Dryopteris; the clades shown in the key are from their work.
REFERENCE: Montgomery & Wagner in FNA (1993b); Sessa, Zimmer, & Givnish (2012); Montgomery & Paulton (1981); Montgomery (1982); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990); Hoshizaki & Wilson (1999).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Dryopteris intermedia in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Dryopteris intermedia in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Dryopteris intermedia in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Dryopteris intermedia in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Dryopteris intermedia in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Dryopteris intermedia

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12931 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12931 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 12931 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 0 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)