Summer Ferns 2024

Broad Beech Ferns

This Broad Beech Fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera) is the last of the 25 fern species we saw on Sunday at Pisgah Mountain Rd. It was a lovely surprise! I have uploaded a final list of the ferns we saw yesterday. It is under Downloads/Fern Lists for or from Walks.

We had seen Narrow Beech Fern (Phegopteris connectilis) earlier that afternoon, but did not see them side by side. Broad Beech Fern is larger than Narrow Beech Fern, but there are a few features which help one identify them when not growing side by side (which they are usually not). Besides the larger, broader size and shape, a key feature is the winged rachis (stem) between the lowest (basal) set of pinnae or leaflets, and the next ones up. The wings are extensions of the pinnae to line both sides of the stem. This can be seen in front of my fingers in this photo. The Narrow Beech Ferns have a bare stem in this location. The basal pinnae on Broad Beech are also much wider in the middle than Narrow Beech, which makes them look a little like a moustache to me.

Broad Beech Ferns grow in rich deciduous woods and bases of slopes, while Narrow Beech Ferns grow in moist to wet forests, and often on stream banks. We have also found Narrow Beech near waterfalls and on cliffs.

If you are already able to identify these two Beech Ferns, there is a new challenge you can consider. There is now a third Beech Fern which has been documented in VT, ME and Canada, and is expected to be around our area as well. It is called Tall Beech Fern (Phegopteris excelsior), a hybrid of mostly Narrow Beech and another unknown Beech Fern.

Here is a link to an article which describes this new species: http://www.fernsoftheworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Tall-Beech-Fern-a-new-beech-fern-in-New-England-New-York-and-Canada.pdf . Easier than my trying to describe it here. Some of you out there are very good at finding ferns, so keep a lookout for this one. If you find any, Randy and I would love to see them! We are on the lookout as well.

Our next Fern Walk will be on Saturday September 14th on Montague Rd in Shutesbury. It is sponsored by the M.N. Spear Library in Shutesbury. Free, and all are welcome. The library asks that you register with them. The info is on our calendar and also on the Library's webpage. We will be identifying common roadside ferns..