:''The
moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a
junior synonym
In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently.
...
of ''
Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to ''
Dryopteris filix-mas
''Dryopteris filix-mas'', the male fern, is a common fern of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere, native plant, native to much of Europe, Asia, and North America. It favours damp shaded areas in the understory of woodlands, but also ...
''), or buckler ferns, is a
fern
The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...
genus in the family
Dryopteridaceae
The Dryopteridaceae are a Family (biology), family of leptosporangiate ferns in the Order (biology), order Polypodiales. They are known Common name, colloquially as the wood ferns. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG&n ...
, subfamily Dryopteridoideae, according to the
Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group
The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish on the classification of pteridophytes ( lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relationships discove ...
classification of 2016 (PPG I).
[ There are about 300-400 species in the genus.]family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Dryopteridaceae, subfamily Dryopteridoideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group
The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group (PPG) is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish on the classification of pteridophytes ( lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relationships discove ...
classification of 2016 (PPG I).[ Many of the species have stout, slowly creeping rootstocks that form a crown, with a vase-like ring of ]frond
A frond is a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group. Other botanists allow the term frond to also apply to the lar ...
s. The sori are round, with a peltate
The following terms are used to describe leaf plant morphology, morphology in the description and taxonomy (biology), taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade ...
indusium. The stipes have prominent scales.
Hybridization and polyploidy
Polyploidy is a condition in which the cells of an organism have more than two paired sets of ( homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they have two complete sets of chromosomes, one fro ...
are well-known phenomena in this group, with many species formed via these processes. The North American ''Dryopteris'' hybrid complex is a well-known example of speciation
Speciation is the evolutionary process by which populations evolve to become distinct species. The biologist Orator F. Cook coined the term in 1906 for cladogenesis, the splitting of lineages, as opposed to anagenesis, phyletic evolution within ...
via allopolyploid hybridization.
The fossil record of this genus shows that it was widespread even as far back as the Cretaceous with fossils being found in Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous (100.5–66 Ma) is the more recent of two epochs into which the Cretaceous Period is divided in the geologic time scale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous Series. The Cretaceous is named after ''cre ...
rock layers from North America down to Antarctica.
Selected species
The genus has a large number of species. The PPG I classification suggested there were about 400 species;[ , the ''Checklist of Ferns and Lycophytes of the World'' listed 328 species and 83 hybrids.][ Some genera sunk into ''Dryopteris'', such as ''Dryopsis'', ''Stenolepia'' and ''Nothoperanema'', are distinguished by other sources.][
*'']Dryopteris abbreviata
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*'' Dryopteris aemula'' – hay-scented buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris affinis'' – scaly male fern
*''Dryopteris alpestris
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris amurensis
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris apicisora
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris arguta
''Dryopteris arguta'', with the common name coastal woodfern, is a species of Dryopteris, wood fern. It is native to the west coast and western interior mountain ranges of North America, from British Columbia, throughout California, and into Ariz ...
'' – coastal wood fern
*''Dryopteris azorica
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris backeri
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris barbigera
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...
''
*''Dryopteris bissetiana
:''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of ''Oreta.
''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to ''Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family Dry ...
''
*'' Dryopteris blandfordii''
*'' Dryopteris bodinieri''
*'' Dryopteris borreri''
*'' Dryopteris cambrensis'' – narrow male fern
*'' Dryopteris campyloptera'' – mountain wood fern
*'' Dryopteris canaliculata''
*''Dryopteris carthusiana
''Dryopteris carthusiana'' is a perennial species of fern native to damp forests throughout the Holarctic Kingdom. It is known as the narrow buckler-fern in the United Kingdom, and as the spinulose woodfern in North America.
It is a tetraploid ...
'' – narrow buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris caucasica''
*'' Dryopteris caudifrons''
*'' Dryopteris celsa'' – log fern
*'' Dryopteris championii''
*'' Dryopteris changii''
*'' Dryopteris chapaensis''
*'' Dryopteris chinensis''
*'' Dryopteris chrysocoma''
*'' Dryopteris cinnamomea'' – cinnamon wood fern
*'' Dryopteris clintoniana'' – Clinton's wood fern
*'' Dryopteris confertipinna''
*'' Dryopteris cordipinna''
*'' Dryopteris corleyi''
*'' Dryopteris costalisora''
*'' Dryopteris crassirhizoma''
*'' Dryopteris crinalis''
*'' Dryopteris crispifolia''
*''Dryopteris cristata
''Dryopteris cristata'' is a perennial species of fern native to wetlands throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is known as crested wood fern, crested buckler-fern or crested shieldfern. This plant is a tetraploid species of hybrid origin, one p ...
'' – crested buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris cyatheoides''
*'' Dryopteris cycadina''
*'' Dryopteris cyclopeltiformis''
*'' Dryopteris decipiens''
*'' Dryopteris dehuaensis''
*'' Dryopteris dickinsii''
*'' Dryopteris dilatata'' – broad buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris discrita''
*'' Dryopteris enneaphylla''
*'' Dryopteris erythrosa''
*'' Dryopteris erythrosora'' – autumn fern
*'' Dryopteris expansa'' – northern buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris fibrilosa''
*'' Dryopteris fibrilosissima''
*''Dryopteris filix-mas
''Dryopteris filix-mas'', the male fern, is a common fern of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere, native plant, native to much of Europe, Asia, and North America. It favours damp shaded areas in the understory of woodlands, but also ...
'' – male fern
*'' Dryopteris floridana''
*'' Dryopteris formosana''
*'' Dryopteris fragrans'' – fragrant buckler fern, fragrant wood fern
*'' Dryopteris fructuosa''
*'' Dryopteris fuscipes''
*'' Dryopteris gamblei''
*'' Dryopteris goerigiana''
*'' Dryopteris goldieana'' – Goldie's wood fern
*'' Dryopteris gongboensis''
*'' Dryopteris guanchica''
*'' Dryopteris gushanica''
*'' Dryopteris gushiangensis''
*'' Dryopteris gymnophylla''
*'' Dryopteris gymnosora''
*'' Dryopteris hasseltii''
*'' Dryopteris hendersoni''
*'' Dryopteris hirtipes''
*'' Dryopteris huanganshanensis''
*'' Dryopteris hupehensis''
*'' Dryopteris hwangii''
*'' Dryopteris hypophlebia''
*'' Dryopteris immixta''
*'' Dryopteris inaequalis''
*'' Dryopteris incisolobata''
*'' Dryopteris integriloba''
*'' Dryopteris integripinnula''
*'' Dryopteris intermedia'' – intermediate wood fern
*'' Dryopteris junlianensis''
*'' Dryopteris juxtaposita''
*'' Dryopteris kinkiensis''
*'' Dryopteris labordei''
*'' Dryopteris lacera''
*'' Dryopteris lancipinnula''
*'' Dryopteris lepidopoda''
*'' Dryopteris lepidorachis''
*'' Dryopteris liyangensis''
*'' Dryopteris ludoviciana'' – southern wood fern
*'' Dryopteris macropholis''
*'' Dryopteris manshurica''
*'' Dryopteris marginalis'' – marginal wood fern
*'' Dryopteris matsumurae''
*'' Dryopteris minjiangensis''
*'' Dryopteris monticola''
*'' Dryopteris montigena''
*'' Dryopteris nanpingensis''
*'' Dryopteris neolepidopoda''
*'' Dryopteris nigropaleacea''
*'' Dryopteris nigrosquamosa''
*'' Dryopteris nyalamensis''
*'' Dryopteris nyingchiensis''
*'' Dryopteris odontoloma''
*'' Dryopteris oreades'' – mountain male fern
*'' Dryopteris pacifica''
*'' Dryopteris pallida''
*'' Dryopteris paludicda''
*'' Dryopteris panda''
*'' Dryopteris parasparsa''
*'' Dryopteris pedata''
*'' Dryopteris peninsulae''
*'' Dryopteris podophylla''
*'' Dryopteris polita''
*'' Dryopteris prosa''
*'' Dryopteris pseudo-sikkimensis''
*'' Dryopteris pseudoatrata''
*'' Dryopteris pseudodontoloma''
*'' Dryopteris pseudofibrillosa''
*'' Dryopteris pseudomarginata''
*'' Dryopteris pseudouniformis''
*'' Dryopteris pulcherrima''
*'' Dryopteris qandoensis''
*'' Dryopteris quatanensis''
*'' Dryopteris reflexosquamata''
*'' Dryopteris remota'' – scaly buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris rigida''
*'' Dryopteris rosthornii''
*'' Dryopteris sacrosancta''
*'' Dryopteris saxifraga''
*'' Dryopteris scottii''
*'' Dryopteris semipinnata''
*'' Dryopteris sericea''
*'' Dryopteris serrato-dentata''
*'' Dryopteris shensicola''
*'' Dryopteris shibipedis''
*'' Dryopteris sichotensis''
*'' Dryopteris sieboldii''
*'' Dryopteris sikkimensis''
*'' Dryopteris silaensis''
*'' Dryopteris sino-sparsa''
*'' Dryopteris sinoerythrosora''
*'' Dryopteris sinofibrillosa''
*'' Dryopteris sordidipes''
*'' Dryopteris sparsa''
*'' Dryopteris squamifera''
*'' Dryopteris squamiseta''
*'' Dryopteris stenolepis''
*'' Dryopteris subatrata''
*'' Dryopteris subbarbigera''
*'' Dryopteris subexaltata''
*'' Dryopteris sublacera''
*'' Dryopteris sublaeta''
*'' Dryopteris submarginata''
*'' Dryopteris submontana'' – rigid buckler fern
*'' Dryopteris subtriangularis''
*'' Dryopteris tarningensis''
*'' Dryopteris tenuicula''
*'' Dryopteris tenuissima''
*'' Dryopteris thibetica''
*'' Dryopteris tieluensis''
*'' Dryopteris tokyoensis'' – Tokyo wood fern
*'' Dryopteris tsangpoensis''
*'' Dryopteris tyrrhena''
*'' Dryopteris uniformis''
*'' Dryopteris varia''
*'' Dryopteris venosa''
*'' Dryopteris villarii''
*'' Dryopteris wallichiana'' – alpine wood fern
*'' Dryopteris wenchuanensis''
*'' Dryopteris wuyishanensis''
*'' Dryopteris yigongensis''
*'' Dryopteris yungtzeensis''
*'' Dryopteris zayuensis''
File:Dryopteris goldiana.jpg, '' Dryopteris goldieana'', Goldie's fern
File:Dryopteris sieboldii - Atlanta Botanical Garden.JPG, '' Dryopteris sieboldii''
Ecology
''Dryopteris'' species are used as food plants by the larva
A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...
e of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
species including '' Batrachedra sophroniella'' (which feeds exclusively on ''D. cyatheoides'') and '' Sthenopiseauratus''.
Cultivation and uses
Many ''Dryopteris'' species are widely used as garden ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...
s, especially ''D. affinis'', ''D. erythrosora'', and ''D. filix-mas'', with numerous cultivar
A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...
s.
''Dryopteris 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
A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (or the typographically obsolete rendering, ''pharmacopœia''), meaning "drug-making", in its modern technical sense, is a reference work containing directions for the identification of compound med ...
.
Traditional use in Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
against red mite ('' Dermanyssus gallinae'') infestation is to place fronds in nesting boxes under nesting material and under floor covering material.
See also
*North American Dryopteris hybrid complex
Hybridization and polyploidy are common phenomena in ferns, and the genus ''Dryopteris'' is known to be one of the most freely-hybridizing fern genera. North American botanists recognized early that there were close relationships between many of ...
References
External links
Flora Europaea: ''Dryopteris''
Flora of North America: ''Dryopteris''
Flora of China: ''Dryopteris'' species list
{{Authority control
Fern genera