I don't know ferns at all...and with my luck this isn't a fern at all? But........ It was found in NW Missouri along the Missouri River bluffs. Growing in the wooded area an old settlement. I could still see foundations to an old building...possibly an inn or a warehouse as old dock pillars are still located not too far from this location and there are no other foundations that I've ever come across in this particular area. There are also a couple varieties of yucca, tulips, and other bulbous flowers growing in these woods just in this particular area that makes me think it was definately landscaped to a point at one time? The full length of this 'frond' was approx. 12 inches...being only a little over an inch across the 'leaf'. Unfortunately my time was short so I could only get the few photos I did but made sure to know where I saw it.
It's the fertile frond of some fern that has dimorphic fronds (that is, separate reproductive fronds and leafy fronds).
I believe it is Matteuccia struthiopteris. Common name Ostrich fern or shuttlecock fern. See.... http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d47/alexwh12/Matteucciastruthiopteris.jpg http://images.google.com/images?q=M...1I7SUNA_en-GB&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi
What an interesting plant! And? It's considered edible as well....I'll keep an eye on it to see how it grows.......I've NEVER seen a fern that grows as big as this one is supposed to? But then...I probably wasn't looking. :o) Thanx for an ID!
There are several possibilities, especially if it's likely been landscaped previously. Onoclea sensibilis, Osmunda cinnamomea, Matteuccia struthiopteris... There are almost 70 species of ferns in Missouri, but few dimorphic iin this regard. Also, you might want to think long and hard before having an Ostrich fern salad - every once in a great while *should* be fine, but research has shown there's a suspiciously high incidence of stomach cancer in areas where croziers are commonly dinner. ;-)
lol....no worries about a salad....I DID read about they cyanide and other issues such as the kinds that suck in pollution. I'm thinking I'll definately keep an eye on this one plant just to see which for sure it is....it was just nice knowing at least that it IS a fern.
Thought you might like to see a couple of pics. 1. and 2. Matteuccia struthiopteris. 3. and 4. Onoclea sensibilis. Osmunda cinnamomea has already been "tidied" up, so no pics. Sorry had to go to www. See... http://www.missouriplants.com/Ferns/Osmunda_cinnamomea_fertile_frond.jpg Ferns are very difficult to id from pics, so it may still turn out to be a completely different fern. Hope this helps.
Now that you sent those? The Matteuccia struthiopteris is definately a visible match for what I've seen here. I've seen several of those when fully opened and green. This fellow I found was the first I've seen all brown and dormant I guess. Thanx!
To clarify a bit, this is a fern with two entirely different kinds of fronds - sterile and fertile. In most ferns, you'll find little brown bug-looking things on the underside of the pinnae (leaflets). With the ferns in this discussion, the little brown bug-looking things are all clustered together on a different type of leaf altogether. From these, the spores which ferns use to reproduce are released and go off to find another happy place in the woods to grow (or in some cases, in the cracks of walls, between bricks, on logs...).
lol...OOOOH great...so now...I'm just going to be MORE confused then where I started at. In other words? Just wait till this fellow fronds out before trying to make a positive guess. :o) Thanx everyone though for help and suggestions!
