Fall Ferns

Silvery Spleenwort sori

I have used photographs of Silvery Spleenwort (Deparia acrostichoides) a few times for these articles because it is an interesting and attractive fern throughout the growing season, from unusual fiddleheads to lovely sori. It is also called SIlvery Glade fern. The season is pretty much over for it now, with not much left to the fronds. This photo was taken September 1st.

It can sometimes be confused with Northern Lady Fern, which is understandable since they used to both be in the genus Athyrium. They both look lacy, are about the same size, and have sori in a somewhat herringbone pattern. One of the quick ways to tell them apart is that the Silvery Spleenwort has fine silvery hairs on all of its stem, while Northern Lady Fern has coarse dark scales only, on the lower part of the stem or stipe. The sori patterns are also somewhat different. The sori on the Silvery Spleenwort are in a tight herringbone pattern, originating evenly from a central vein, They look like sheaths of wheat to me. The sori on Northern Lady Ferns are further apart and tend to be somewhat hooked or J shaped, like upside down candy canes.

You can compare the sori patterns and shapes on these two ferns by comparing this photo of Silvery Spleenwort sori with the Northern Lady Fern sori photo 3 articles ago (10/21/24).

A reminder that our last public fern walk of the season is next week, the Friday after Thanksgiving. November 29th from 1-3PM at Mt Toby in Sunderland MA. See the calendar listing on this website for more info. Meeting at the parking lot on Reservoir Rd, Sunderland. Rain cancels.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted: to PV Fern News on Thu, Nov 21, 2024
Updated: Thu, Nov 21, 2024