Plant · GBIF taxon 7319895
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeumAlso known as Buckhorn Fern, Cinnamon Royal Fern
Cinnamon ferns form striking vase-shaped clumps in boggy woodlands and along stream banks across the Americas and eastern Asia. In mid-spring, slender fertile fronds rise from the center of the crown, ripening into an intense cinnamon-brown color as sporangia mature before withering away. Woolly fibers encasing the base of the rootstock protect new growth from frost and provide nesting material for songbirds.
PerennialWetlandNative
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Autotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
- White-tailed Deer
- Insects
ThreatsWetland drainage, habitat destruction
HabitatsSwamps, wet woodlands, bogs, stream margins
Life spanPerennial (decades)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderOsmundales
- FamilyOsmundaceae
- GenusOsmundastrum
- SpeciesOsmundastrum cinnamomeum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Look for fronds: Identify central cinnamon-colored fertile spikes surrounded by green sterile fronds in spring.
- Check leaf bases: Examine the base of fronds for residual tufts of orange-brown woolly hair.
Co-occurring Fern (c) Tom Norton, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Norton · cc-by
Close Relative E Wusk / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Close Relative (c) Marilyne Busque-Dubois, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Marilyne Busque-Dubois · cc-by
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