Crested Buckler Fern
Dryopteris cristata (L.) A.Gray
Dryopteris cristata (L.) A.Gray, commonly known as Crested Buckler Fern, is a perennial fern native to wetlands in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a tetraploid hybrid species, with Dryopteris ludoviciana as one parent and the presumed extinct Dryopteris semicristata as the other. This species is also a parent of Dryopteris clintoniana, another hybrid fern. It is found in regions including Newfoundland, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, as well as parts of Europe and the northeastern United States.
Description
Dryopteris cristata belongs to the family Dryopteridaceae and is part of the genus Dryopteris. It is known by several common names, including Crested Wood Fern and Crested Shieldfern. The species was first described in 1848. Its hybrid origin and tetraploid nature distinguish it from other ferns in the genus. The other parent species, Dryopteris semicristata, is thought to be extinct. Dryopteris cristata is distributed across North America and Europe, growing in wetland habitats. It is a parent of the hybrid Dryopteris clintoniana, further illustrating its role in the evolutionary history of the genus.
Other common names
Crested Buckler FernCrested Buckler-FernCrested Shield FernCrested Wood FernCrested WoodfernGray Crested Shield FernNarrow Swamp Fern
Distribution
Newfoundland · Alberta · British Columbia · Manitoba · New Brunswick · Nova Scotia · Ontario · Prince Edward Island · Quebec · Saskatchewan · Saint Pierre and Miquelon · NO · DK · FI · SE · Flanders · Vermont-US · Belgium · Flemish Region · Walloon Region · Alabama · Altay · Austria · Baltic States · Belarus · Central European Rus · Connecticut · Czechoslovakia · Delaware · Denmark
Synonyms
Lophodium callipterisPolystichum callipterisPolypodium callipterisAcrostichum callipterisLastrea callipterisLastrea lancastriensisAspidium cristatumThelypteris cristataPolypodium cristatumNephrodium cristatumPolystichum cristatumFilix cristataFilix-mas cristataLastrea cristataAspidium cristatumDryopteris cristata var. cristataNephrodium lancastrienseAspidium lancastrienseTectaria cristataNephrodium cristatum f. silvaticumNephrodium cristatum f. lancastrienseDryopteris cristata var. lancastriensisDryopteris cristata var. marianaAspidium cristatum var. crenatumFilix cristataFilix-mas cristataLastrea lancastriensisLastrea lancastriensis
