Dryopteris intermedia

Intermediate Wood Fern, Evergreen Wood Fern

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Family: Dryopteridaceae (Wood Fern family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: June - September

Intermediate Wood Fern is the only lacy fern that is evergreen in our area. Compare with the non-lacy but otherwise somewhat similar Marginal Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis).

Key ID features:

• fronds are evergreen and mostlytripinnate
• marginsof the pinnules are serrate and bristle-tipped
• thesoriare midway ("intermediate") between midvein and margins of pinnules

10 December 2015 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA

10 December 2015 Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (underside showing spore structures)

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