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stoloniferous

Can you help me identify some Massachusetts ferns?

stoloniferous
15 years ago

I live in zone 6, Massachusetts, and my backyard is a bit of a shady marsh. There are three kinds of ferns back there, and I donÂt know anything about ferns. Can you help me to identify these? I am particularly curious to know if they are native. Most of the other plants in this area are native.

This kind of fern grows to be about a foot tall. It is entirely green, has sort of frilly foliage, and grows in the sunnier, drier areas of the yard, such as on top of rocky mounds of earth around the edges of the swampy areas. It grows mostly alongside poison ivy.

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This fern seems to tolerate similar conditions as the last one, but it seems inclined to grow in slightly lower/wetter parts of the yard, alongside the previous fern, jack-in-the-pulpit, poison ivy, and jewelweed. For lack of a better word, the fronds seem more blocky, less frilly. The stems are reddish, and it doesnÂt get quite as tall as the previous fern.

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This last fern gets to be about three feet tall, and grows in very wet soil alongside skunk cabbage, witchhazel, and poison sumac. The fiddleheads are quite furry, but as the fronds uncurl they seem to lose the fuzz and instead become a smooth, Kermit green.

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Thank you!

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