Species

Dryopteris filix-mas

Common Name(s)

male fern

Authority

Dryopteris filix-mas (L.) Schott

Family

Dryopteridaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

DRYFIL

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Ferns

Habitat

Terrestrial. Streamsides, open scrub, damp forest.

Features

Stout rhizomatous fern. laminae bipinnate up to 125 x 30 cm, dark green above, paler green below. Primary pinnae in 25-50 pairs, secondary pinnae in 15-30 pairs. Sori round, 1-5 pairs on each secondary pinnae.

Similar Taxa

Dryopteris is closely related to Polystichium and Lastreopsis, but distinguished from Polystichum by the kidney-shaped indusia, and from Lastreopsis by its abundance of stipe-scales and absence of hairs. D. filix-mas is closely related to D. affinis but can be distinguished by the second pinnae being round ended and margins toothed throughout.

Flowering

N/A

Flower Colours

No Flowers

Year Naturalised

1958

Origin

Europe, Asia, N. America

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Reproduction
Sexually from spores.

This page last updated on 25 Mar 2010