North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Lygodium palmatum

Lygodium palmatum (Bernh.) Sw.

american climbing fern, hartford fern

Lygodium palmatum (American Climbing Fern)

Image ID: 12567
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: LYPA3
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lygodium palmatum
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2016-02-19

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: LYGOD2
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Lygodium
GENUS AUTHORITY: Sw.
GENUS COMMON: Climbing fern
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 40 species, mostly tropical, with a few temperate species.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Nauman in FNA (1993b); Zhang & Hanks in FoC (2013).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: LYGODI
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Lygodiaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: M. Roemer 1840
FAMILY COMMON: Climbing Fern Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family with a single genus and about 40 species, of tropical and temperate regions, particularly equatorial and south temperate. Sometimes included in the Schizaeaceae, but the relationship is remote and unclear.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Nauman in FNA (1993b).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

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

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb, Fern, Vine

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Palmate
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Jul-Sep

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

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, 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
950	1985-0643			View
2098	1986-1899			View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1750	950	73	NCBG staff	1985-02-19	View
3497	2098	1	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: LYPA3
USDA Common Name: American Climbing Fern
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Vine, Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

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

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

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lygodium palmatum
COMMON NAME: American Climbing Fern, Hartford Fern
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, K1, K2, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Va, W, WV]
PHENOLOGY: Jul-Sep.
HABITAT: Bogs, moist thickets, swamp forests, sandstone outcrops, roadside ditches and roadbanks, in strongly acid soils.
COMMENTS: NH, VT, NYand MI south to SC, n. GA, and n. AL, widely scattered except in the Cumberland Plateau of KY, TN, and AL, where it is most common. Garrison (1992) discusses two forms of the species, one with long appressed hairs scattered over the lower (abaxial) side of the sterile leaflets and the other relatively hair-free. The two forms appear to be geographically differentiated, the pubescent form predominating south and west of Maryland, the glabrous form occurring primarily in the Northeast. Both forms are present in our area. Further research is needed to determine the taxonomic significance of this variation in pubescence.
RANGE MAP: Lygodium palmatum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Lygodiaceae M. Roemer 1840 (Climbing Fern Family)
SUMMARY: A family with a single genus and about 40 species, of tropical and temperate regions, particularly equatorial and south temperate. Sometimes included in the Schizaeaceae, but the relationship is remote and unclear.
REFERENCE: Nauman in FNA (1993b).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Lygodium Sw. (Climbing fern)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 40 species, mostly tropical, with a few temperate species.
REFERENCE: Nauman in FNA (1993b); Zhang & Hanks in FoC (2013).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

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

WEB RESOURCES

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

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12567 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12567 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 12567 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 26 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)