Order Dryopteridales Scientific name Dryopteris Rank Genus | Division Pteridophyta | |
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Lower classifications Dryopteris filix‑mas, Dryopteris erythrosora, Dryopteris affinis, Dryopteris carthusiana, Dryopteris dilatata | ||
Dryopteris /draɪˈɒptərᵻs/, commonly called wood fern, male fern (referring in particular to Dryopteris filix-mas), or buckler fern, is a genus of about 250 species of ferns with distribution in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in eastern Asia. Many of the species have stout, slowly creeping rootstocks that form a crown, with a vase-like ring of fronds. The sori are round, with a peltate indusium. The stipes have prominent scales.
Contents
Hybridisation is a well-known phenomenon within this group, with many species formed by this method.
Fern dryopteris wallichiana cutting back old fronds
Ecology
Dryopteris species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Batrachedra sophroniella (which feeds exclusively on D. cyatheoides) and Sthenopis auratus.
Cultivation and uses
Many Dryopteris species are widely used as garden ornamental plants, especially D. affinis, D. erythrosora, and D. filix-mas, with numerous cultivars.
D. filix-mas was throughout much of recent human history widely used as a vermifuge, and was the only fern listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia.
