Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Comptonia's leaf shape is unique – very narrowly elliptic to linear and about 2-3” long, with strongly crenate/wavy undulated leaf margins. The leaves thus resemble pinnae on many ferns, thus the common name. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (11/30/12):
Comptonia peregrina
FAMILY
Myricaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Comptonia peregrina
FAMILY
Myricaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 052-01-001:
Comptonia peregrina
FAMILY
Myricaceae
COMMON NAME:
Sweet-fern
Click or hover over the thumbnails to see larger pictures.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cope80_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm110402_350
April Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Male flower clusters cylindrical and about 1.25" long, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC.
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JK Marlow jkm110402_350b
April Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Flowers without sepals or petals, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC.
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_c_peregrina_sweetfern
April
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JK Marlow jkm080705_167
July Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Leaves spicy-scented when crushed, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge.
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JK Marlow jkm090923_017
September Hancock County ME
Leaves narrow with deep marginal indentations (pinnatifid), per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge.
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JK Marlow jkm090923_019
September Hancock County ME
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JK Marlow jkm0411a_18
November Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
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JK Marlow jkm0511b_24
November Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden