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Osmundastrum claytoniana is often confused with:
Comptonia peregrina Comptonia peregrina
Deparia acrostichoides Deparia acrostichoides
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Dryopteris carthusiana Form
Dryopteris goldieana frond
Thelypteris noveboracensis Thelypteris noveboracensis

Osmundastrum claytoniana

Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Osmundastrum claytonianum
Phonetic Spelling
os-MUN-dah klay-toh-nee-AY-na
Description

Compact, wiry, horizontal rhizome; easy to grow; prefers moist, average to humus rich soil in sun or shade but will grow in dry, stony soil; one of first ferns to begin growth in spring; spreads slowly; dies in center of clump with growth continuing on edges. This plant is seldom damaged by deer.

Spreading vase of arching fronds; pinnate-pinnatified; broadest in middle; pinna are narrow, lance shaped, broadest at base and gradually taper to a blunt tip; no dense tuft of hairs at base of pinnae; rachis is smooth and semi-grooved in front; sporangia borne on several pairs of pinnae in middle of frond- bright green and short-lived.

VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#deciduous#shade garden#fern#NC native#deer resistant#native fern#wet soils tolerant#heavy shade tolerant#woodland garden
 
Whole plant
Form Charles Wohlers CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Fronds
Fronds Jill Lee CC-BY-SA 2.0
Frond
Frond Homer Edward Price CC BY 2.0
Plants
Fronds Bahamut Chao CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Plants
Fiddleheads Tamaki Somo CC BY 2.0
Emerging in spring
Form Cranbrook Science Center CC BY 2.0
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#deciduous#shade garden#fern#NC native#deer resistant#native fern#wet soils tolerant#heavy shade tolerant#woodland garden
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Osmundastrum
    Species:
    claytoniana
    Family:
    Osmundaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Central, eastern Canada and U.S.A.
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Heavy shade, Deer
    Dimensions:
    Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Fern
    Native Plant
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Arching
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil Drainage:
    Frequent Standing Water
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    3 feet-6 feet
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Description:
    No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    No flowers.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Fronds
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Other/more complex
    Leaf Shape:
    Rhomboidal
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Near Septic
    Riparian
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Cottage Garden
    Native Garden
    Shade Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Heavy Shade
    Wet Soil