Ferns of the Adirondacks:
New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis)
New York Ferns (Thelypteris noveboracensis) are deciduous woodland ferns that grow abundantly in both wetland and nonwetland habitats in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.
The New York Fern's taxonomic status is unclear. It is one of the many species that have gone through multiple changes in classification and scientific name.
- At one time, this fern was included in the genus Dryopteris.
- In more current revisions, some sources assign the New York Fern to the family Thelypteridaceae (Marsh Fern Family) and place it in the Thelypteris genus (Marsh Ferns); in this classification the genus is a small one with about two species.
- Another approach is to treat the genus Thelypteris as the only one in the subfamily Thelypteridoideae, which (according to this scheme) would include around a thousand species.
One reflection of this lack of consensus is that different sources assign different scientific names to the New York Fern.
- Both iNaturalist and Go Botany adopt an approach assigning the New York Fern to the subfamily Thelypteridoideae and the Genus Parathelypteris, so the scientific name becomes Parathelypteris noveboracensis.
- The New York Flora Association, by contrast, currently uses the scientific name Thelypteris noveboracensis, as does the Integrated Taxonomic Information System and the US Department of Agriculture. The approach adopted here follows that of the New York Flora Association.
By contrast, this fern's nonscientific name has been quite stable over the decades. Although a few sources mention Tapering Fern as a secondary name, most stick with "New York Fern." This is an allusion to the fern's species name "noveboracensis," which is derived from the Latin Eboracum – the Roman name for the city of York in England.
Identification of New York Ferns
New York Ferns are medium-sized, deciduous ferns with yellow-green fronds. They grow one to two feet high, in clumps of two to three feet in width. The New York Fern often grows in large colonies carpeting the forest floor. This fern is not evergreen; its fronds turn golden brown in the fall and die back as the weather gets colder.
The main identification clue for this fern is the shape of the blade
Blade: The expanded, leafy part of the frond. (the leafy portion of the frondFrond: The whole leaf of a fern. It includes the blade (the expanded leafy part of the frond) and the stipe (the stalk below the blade).). In contrast to the triangular shape of many ferns, the blade of the New York Fern is widest in the middle and tapers sharply at both ends. The lowest leaflets (pinnae
Pinna: A primary division of the blade (plural: pinnae).) are very tiny and emerge near the base of the frond, close to the rhizome
Rhizome: The modified subterranean stem of a plant that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks and rootstocks.. This feature has given rise to a popular way of remembering this fern: "New Yorkers burn the candle at both ends" – a reference to the hectic pace of life in New York City.
The stipeStipe: The stalk below the blade (the expanded, leafy part of the frond). (the stalk below the blade) is quite short. It is straw-colored or light green and brown and scaly at the base. The rhizomeRhizome: The modified subterranean stem of a plant that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks and rootstocks. is dark brown and slender. The soriSorus: A cluster of sporangia, usually borne on the underside or margins of the pinnae or pinnules. (plural = sori) are small, round and located near the margin.
There are several other ferns also found in the Adirondack Park that might be confused with the New York Fern.
- The Hay-scented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) is found in similar habitats, also growing in large colonies. Like the New York Fern, its fronds are yellowish-green. However, the fronds of Hay-scented Ferns, as the name implies, give off a scent of crushed hay in late summer. Moreover, Hay-scented Ferns have triangular fronds which are broadest at the base, in contrast to New York Ferns, which has fronds that are widest in the middle and taper to tiny leaflets at the bottom.
- The Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris), which is also found in the Adirondack Park, has blades that taper gradually at the bottom. However, the Ostrich Fern is much larger than the New York Fern, growing three to five feet tall. In addition, Ostrich Fern fronds are more dramatically dimorphicFrond dimorphism: Refers to a difference in ferns between the fertile and sterile fronds., meaning that its fertile fronds are very different in appearance. The fertile fronds of the Ostrich Fern are much shorter than its sterile fronds; they grow in the center of the leaf clump with tubular-shaped structures that start out green and turn dark brown.
- The Massachusetts Fern (Thelypteris simulata) also occurs in several Adirondack Park counties, but its lower leaflets are less reduced in size than those of the New York Fern. It also is much more limited in habitat choice, being limited to acidic soils in swamps and marshy wetlands.
Uses of New York Ferns
No edible or medicinal uses for the New York Fern could be found.
Wildlife Value of New York Ferns
New York Ferns appear to have low value to wildlife. In general, ferns are not a major food source for mammals or birds. The small size of fern spores eliminates them from significance as a menu item. Several wildlife species (such as Wild Turkey and Spruce Grouse) reportedly consume a few evergreen ferns (such as Christmas Fern) in the winter, during times when other green plants are scarce. However, New York Ferns are deciduous, not evergreen, and so cannot provide a food source after the fronds have died back with the coming of cold weather.
Several caterpillars reportedly feed on New York Ferns. These include the Pink-shaded Fern Moth (Callopistria mollissima) and American Angle Shades (Euplexia benesimilis). The Closebanded Yellowhorn Moth (Colocasia propinquilinea) has also been observed feeding on New York Fern. An aphid (Amphorophora ampullata) reportedly sucks its plant juices.
Distribution of New York Ferns
New York Ferns are abundant throughout much of their range, with includes much of the eastern half of the United States and the southeastern provinces of Canada. The range of this fern extends from Newfoundland to Ontario, Michigan, and Illinois, south to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The New York Fern is listed as endangered in Illinois.
In New York State, where this fern is among the many ferns listed as exploitably vulnerable, vouchered plant specimens have been registered for nearly all counties in New York State, including all counties within the Adirondack Park Blue Line.
Habitat of New York Ferns
The New York Fern is classified as a Facultative plant (FAC), meaning that it occurs in both wetlands and nonwetlands. This fern is fairly flexible in terms of site requirements. It can grow in both sunny and shaded spots and in well-drained to imperfectly drained sites. It prefers slightly to moderately acid soils. Throughout its range, the New York Fern is common on sunny spots within mixed woodlands, the drier edges of swamps, and low areas along streams.
In New York State, New York Ferns are found in mesicMesic Habitat: A type of habitat with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture. to dry-mesic forests and forest edges. In the Adirondacks, this fern occurs in both mixed woodlands (such as hemlock-northern hardwood forest) and hardwood forests, as well as swamps and other wet places. It is often found growing in large colonies near Hay-scented Ferns.
New York Ferns are common ferns which can be seen on many of the trails covered here.
- There is a clump of New York Ferns identified with an interpretive sign in the Fern Garden adjacent to the Nature Museum at Heart Lake. You can also see New York Ferns growing on the ski slope on the Heart Lake Trail, together with Hay-scented Ferns, Royal Ferns, and Interrupted Ferns.
- This fern can be found growing in successional and mature forests on many of the trails at Heaven Hill, including the Sugar Maple Trail, Bear Cub Loop, and Big Field Loop.
- Look for New York Fern growing under deciduous trees on the Sucker Brook Trail at the Adirondack Interpretive Center.
- You can also find New York Ferns on the northern sections of the Logger's Loop Trail at the Paul Smith's College VIC where the trail leads through the Forest Ecosystem Research and Demonstration Area (FERDA), showcasing the impacts of different logging practices on natural communities.
List of Adirondack Ferns
References
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