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Osmunda regalis L. var. spectabilis (Willd.)A.Gray
Royal Fern
American Royal Fern
Synonym(s): Osmunda spectabilis Willd.
Florida native
A common fern usually found in swamps, bogs and marshes throughout nearly all of Florida. The range includes much of eastern North America west into Texas to Manitoba.
Typically a large fern with thick stems that sometimes extend above the ground. Fronds are 50-150cm (20-60 in.) tall with greenish to straw-colored petioles 10-75cm long that are sometimes pinkish. The blades are bipinnate with a green to straw-colored rachis having some scattered hairs and closely alterate pinnae. Sterile pinnae are up to 28cm (11 in.) long, 14cm (5-1/2 in.) wide and lanceolate in overall shape with 5 to 13 pairs of alternate pinnules. The pinnules are lanceolate, short-stalked and up to 5cm (~2 in.) long with entire or finely toothed margins. The fertile pinnae appear at the tip of the blade and are covered with browinsh sporangia with the pinnules appearing shriveled instead of leaf-like.
Osmunda regalis is a member of the Osmundaceae - Royal fern family.
Other species of the Osmunda genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Osmunda cinnamomea - CINNAMON FERN
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jun 09, 2024
