North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Dryopteris marginalis

Dryopteris marginalis (L.) A. Gray

marginal wood-fern, marginal woodfern

Dryopteris marginalis (Marginal Wood-fern)

Image ID: 12450
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: DRMA4
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dryopteris marginalis
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: 18-24 in.

DURATION:
HABIT: Fern

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
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:

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Marginal Shield Fern looks good throughout the year while requiring minimal maintenance. Glossy evergreen fronds form an attractive rosette around its new fiddleheads. In the wild, Marginal Shield Fern grows in rocky woods and slopes of the piedmont and mountains. Try combining it with Eastern Columbine for a beautiful woodland garden.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 2
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
968	1985-0661			View
969	1985-0663			View
7090	1999-0041	1999-08-06		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
1795	968	145	Liloia	1985-02-20	View
1796	968	75	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10020	7090	1	NCBG staff	1998-01-01	View
10021	7090	1	NCBG staff	1998-01-01	View
10022	7090	73	NCBG staff	1999-06-10	View
10023	7090	158	NCBG staff	1967-12-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: DRMA4
USDA Common Name: Marginal Woodfern
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N), GL (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (BC, NB, NF, NS, ON, QC), DEN (GL)
Duration:
Growth Habit:

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

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

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: Dryopteris marginalis
COMMON NAME: Marginal Wood-fern
SYNONYMY: [= Ar, C, F, FNA, G, Il, K, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Va, W, WV]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-Sep.
HABITAT: Rock outcrops, boulderfield forests, other rocky forests.
COMMENTS: NL (Newfoundland) west to s. ON and MI, south to SC, c. GA, AL, TN, AR, and e. OK. D. marginalis has not participated in the reticulate evolution of Dryopteris in e. North America; it does, however, form sterile hybrids with some other species.
RANGE MAP: Dryopteris marginalis.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 marginalis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Dryopteris marginalis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

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

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12450 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12450 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 12450 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)