Osmunda
Osmunda is a genus of primarily temperate-zone
ferns of
family Osmundaceae or Flowering Ferns, so named because of the elaborate
sporangia. About ten species have been listed for this genus.
The
spore is borne in large, naked
sporangia that are borne in dense masses on completely dimorphic
fronds or pinnae. "fertile fronds." Because of the pure mass of sporangia that uniformly ripen at the same time to a showy golden color, the ferns look somewhat like they are in flower, and so this group is called the flowering ferns.
Osmunda species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
The Engrailed.
Encyclopedia
Osmunda is a genus of primarily temperate-zone
ferns of
family Osmundaceae or Flowering Ferns, so named because of the elaborate
sporangia. About ten species have been listed for this genus.
The
spore is borne in large, naked
sporangia that are borne in dense masses on completely dimorphic
fronds or pinnae. "fertile fronds." Because of the pure mass of sporangia that uniformly ripen at the same time to a showy golden color, the ferns look somewhat like they are in flower, and so this group is called the flowering ferns.
Osmunda species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including
The Engrailed.
One of these, the
Cinnamon fern forms huge clonal colonies in
swamp areas. These ferns form massive rootstocks with densely-matted, wiry roots. This root mass is an excellent substrate for many
epiphytal plants. They are often harvested as osmunda fiber and used horticulturally, especially in propagating and growing
orchids.
The genus name is from Middle English and Middle French words for a type of fern.
Common names for Osmunda species
External links
