Species
Gymnocarpium dryopteris
Oak Fern
Range
Circumboreal,
Alaska to Newfoundland, south to Oregon, northern Idaho, NW Montana, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and
Maryland
Climate, elevation
Moist forests, streambanks, and wet cliffs from
lowland to mid-montane elevations
883m- 5860m
Local occurrence
Very abudant
in the understory of coniferous forests throughout
the
Habitat preferences
Moist to wet heavily shaded forests, rocky slopes
Plant strategy type/successional stage
(stress-tolerator, competitor, weedy/colonizer, seral, late successional)
Facultative Seral Species
Associated species
Alaska cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), noble fir (Abies procera), lodgepole pine(Pinus contorta), Alaska blueberry (Vaccinium alaskensis), red huckleberry (V. parviflorum), thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), salmonberry (R. spectabilis), devil's club (Oplopanax horridus), menziesia (Menziesia ferruginea), salal (Gaultheria shallon), Oregon oxalis (Oxalis oregana), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), false lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum dilatatum), twisted stalk (Streptopus spp.), threeleaf foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata), woodnymph (Moneses uniflora), pioneer violet (Viola glabrella), western swordfern (Polystichum munitum), ladyfern (Athyrium filix-femina), bracken fern(Pteridium aquilinum), woodfern (Dryopteris spp.), stiff clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum)
May be collected as:
Spores, Division
Collection restrictions or guidelines
Spore: Place spore surface down on butcher paper to collect spores.
Spores will appear as a fine dust on the paper after several days of drying.
Collect spores when mature, usually from July to late August from the surface of paper and surface sow in
sterilized flats filled with sterile, finely milled peat moss
Division: Can be divided in spring if the rhizome is large and the
roots are well developed.
Seed germination
No dormancy breaking required
Seed life
Spore viability highly variable,
usually low after 1 year
Recommended seed storage conditions
Store spores in glassine envelopes
or in packets or waxed paper. Store packets at 1-4 C, in
moisture-tight and air tight containers.
Propagation recommendations
Divisions: Divisions of rhizomes can be done in early spring with at
least 1 leaf shoot or bud per rhizome section and transplanted into containers
Soil or medium requirements
Moist mildly acidic
Installation form
Division has the highest potential
for success
Recommended planting density
About every 2ft
Care requirements after installed
Average water requirements
Normal rate of growth or spread; lifespan
Fast growing/ spreading Deciduous perennial
Sources cited
1. http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/ferns/gymnodry.html
2. E-Folra BC. http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gymnocarpium+dryopteris
3. Native Plant Nursery,
Data compiled by
Kelly Sutton 5/23/06