Another fern ID - some type of Holly Fern?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by Gursk, May 16, 2007.

  1. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    Check out Dryopteris erythrosora, that would be my choice.
     
  2. Gursk

    Gursk Active Member

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    Thanks, Luddite@Machen,

    I have a Dryopteris erythrosora, & it is quite similar, but fern X has a far more leathery/thick texture & doesn't exhibit any of the orange/yellow hues.
     
  3. chimera

    chimera Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Wondering if it could be Polystichum neolobatum ,but can't remember if the young fronds are red. On second thought , i guess not.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2008
  4. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    You still seem to favour Dryopteris hondoensis, have you had a look at the close up of the sori on this site? They show what I would describe as C- shaped sori, your picture last year clearly show round sori.

    http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Auto=10

    Another thought erythros means red = red sori yours do look red in you pic.
     
    Last edited: May 9, 2008
  5. Gursk

    Gursk Active Member

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    The sori are rusty, orangey coloured and deepen to a orange red on older fronds. They also look round, not c-shaped, as far as I can tell.
     
  6. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    The other possibility is that one of your two plants is a cultivar, such as D. erythrosora 'Brilliance' as shown here: http://www.greenbeam.com/features/plant013006.stm.
    If not that one, perhaps a new one that you can "discover!"

    Don't assume that your other one is correctly labelled - either one could be the cultivar.

    The mature frond really doesn't look like D. hondoensis to me. Among other things, the bottom pinnae on mine have a distinct flare as shown below. Also, the sori shape does seem to rule that out, as per the link Luddite gave (though the flare is missing from that picture, go figure).

    The timing supports it being some sort of D. erythrosora. Mine is at exactly the same stage as yours, and 'Brilliance' is just a step behind (photo below) which might be because it is a smaller plant. In contrast, D. hondoensis shows no signs of life yet, and D. lepidopoda, another one with coloured fronds (though distinctly orange) has long since emerged and has even lost some of its initial colour.

    In your place, I would further compare your two plants to each other with a view to seeing if one perfectly fits descriptions of either the species or 'Brilliance.' This could be well done in a nursery that sells a good selection of ferns; you'd see them in person. Maybe you really do have a unique plant.
     

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  7. Gursk

    Gursk Active Member

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    Thanks KarinL,

    The images of your D. erythrosora, does it die off in the winter or is it evergreen?

    Thanks!
     
  8. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Both D. erythrosora 'Brilliance' and the regular plant stay evergreen. My Brilliance is just a small plant and the remaining fronds were obscuring the emerging ones so I pushed them aside for the photo above.
     
  9. Silver surfer

    Silver surfer Generous Contributor 10 Years

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    In a book by U.K. Fern expert Martin Rickard titled "The Plantfinder's Guide to Garden Ferns" he says.....
    In connection with D.erythrosora."There is possibly a complex of species in cultivation under this name (for example, D.championii, D. cystolpidota, D.fuscipes,D. gymnosora, D.purpurella).Not all have the red sori (e.g. f.viridisora), but in every other respect seem to be the same fern."
    Don't know whether this will help you Gursk, or just confuse things even more!!!!
     

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