Monilophytes (ferns): Ophioglossoid Ferns (eusporangiate ferns): Ophioglossales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ophioglossum pycnostichum
FAMILY
Ophioglossaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Ophioglossum from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ophioglossum vulgatum
FAMILY
Ophioglossaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America
Ophioglossum vulgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN The Ferns and Lycophytes of Texas (Diggs & Lipscomb, 2014)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 006-02-004:
Ophioglossum vulgatum var. pycnostichum FAMILY Ophioglossaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Ferns of the Southeastern States (Small, 1938)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
COMMON NAME:
Southern Adder's-tongue
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Don Lewis tdl_1086
March? Greenville County SC
Firefly Forest
)
JK Marlow jkm180408_1146
April McCormick County SC
Parks Mill
Sporangia fused together in two partially buried rows on erect stalk, per Ferns of the Smokies (Evans, 2005).
COMPARE
Adder's Mouth and Adder's Tongue
)
JK Marlow jkm210408_9377
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
Roxanna Martin rlm4211_44
April Spartanburg County SC
)
Roxanna Martin rlm4910_047
April Spartanburg County SC
Blade is oval, rounded at top with broad, abruptly tapering base, per Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia (Snyder & Bruce, 1986).
)
Betsy George bmg_39
May Greenville County SC
Ophioglossum's chromosome numbers are the highest known in all vascular plants, per Flora of North America.
)
Gill Newberry gil_ophioglossum_duo
May Spartanburg County SC
)
Gill Newberry gil_ophioglossumtwins
May Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm110522_677
May Greenville County SC
Firefly Forest
Elusive, 4-10" tall, withering in midsummer, per Peterson Field Guide to Ferns of Northeastern and Central North America.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Ophioglossum pycnostichum
FAMILY
Ophioglossaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Ophioglossum vulgatum
FAMILY
Ophioglossaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Ophioglossum vulgatum
INCLUDED WITHIN
The Ferns and Lycophytes of Texas (Diggs & Lipscomb, 2014)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 006-02-004:
Ophioglossum vulgatum var. pycnostichum
FAMILY
Ophioglossaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Ferns of the Southeastern States (Small, 1938)
Ophioglossum vulgatum
2233
Fern/Fern ally
Perennial
Habitat: Bottomland forests, moist loamy soils of successional forests and old fields, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon (rare in Coastal Plain of GA & SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Leaf consists of a simple sterile blade & an erect, spike-like fertile segment
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Ferns and Other Pteridophytes of Georgia (Snyder & Bruce, 1986) p032
- The Ferns and Lycophytes of Texas (Diggs & Lipscomb, 2014) p194
- Ferns of Alabama (Short & Spaulding, 2012) p137
- Ferns of the Smokies (Evans, 2005) p042
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p226
- Peterson Field Guide to Ferns of Northeastern and Central North America p277
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