Osmundastrum
Osmundastrum Temporal range:
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Developing spore-bearing frond and several sterile fronds in late spring | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Division: | Polypodiophyta |
Class: | Polypodiopsida |
Order: | Osmundales |
Family: | Osmundaceae |
Genus: | Osmundastrum ( C.Presl
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Type species | |
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (von Linné 1753) Presl 1848
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Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2017) |
Osmundastrum is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, Osmundastrum cinnamomeum, the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands.
In North America it occurs from southern Labrador west to Ontario, and south through the eastern United States to eastern Mexico and the West Indies; in South America it occurs west to Peru and south to Paraguay. In Asia it occurs from southeastern Siberia south through Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan to Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Osmundastrum cinnamomeum has a fossil record extending into the Late Cretaceous of North America, approximately 70 million years ago, making it one of the oldest living plant species.[5][6] The fossil records of the genus extend into the Triassic.
Characteristics
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2017) |
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is a
The Osmundastrum cinnamomeum fern forms huge clonal colonies in swampy areas. These ferns form massive rootstocks with densely matted, wiry roots. This root mass is an excellent substrate for many epiphytal plants. They are often harvested as osmunda fiber and used horticulturally, especially in propagating and growing orchids. Cinnamon Ferns do not actually produce cinnamon; they are named for the color of the fertile fronds.
Classification
Traditionally, this plant has been classified as Osmunda cinnamomea L. However, recent genetic and morphological evidence (Metzgar et al. 2008; Jud et al. 2008) clearly demonstrate that the cinnamon fern is a sister species to the entire rest of the living Osmundaceae. Cladistically, it is either necessary then to include all species of the Osmundaceae, including Todea and Leptopteris in the genus Osmunda, or else it is necessary to segregate the genus Osmundastrum. O. cinnamomeum is the sole living species in the genus,[7] although it is possible that some additional fossils should be assigned to Osmundastrum.[8]
Formerly, some authors included the interrupted fern,
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is considered a living fossil because it has been identified in the geologic record as far back as 75 million years ago.[8] The oldest member of the genus is O. indentatum from the Triassic of Tasmania, Australia.[9]
The Asian and American populations of cinnamon fern are generally considered to be varieties of a single species, but some botanists classify them as separate species.[7] The Asian taxon is thus named Osmundastrum asiaticum.
Uses
According to the Native American Ethnobotany Database, cinnamon fern has been historically used by first nations tribes (Abnaki, Menominee) as a food source. The Iroquois and Cherokee tribes used the fern for a wide variety of medicinal purposes including as a cold remedy, gynecological aid, venereal aid, and as a remedy to snake bites.
References
- S2CID 203848747. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ PMID 28713650.
- PMID 28713650.
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Osmunda cinnamomea Cinnamon Fern". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- S2CID 84290371.
- S2CID 224893472.
- ^ a b Alan S. Weakley (April 2008). "Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and Surrounding Areas".
- ^ PMID 21632358.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - S2CID 12235529.
Further reading
- Metzgar, Jordan S., Judith E. Skog, Elizabeth A. Zimmer, and Kathleen M. Pryer (2008). "The Paraphyly of Osmunda is Confirmed by Phylogenetic Analyses of Seven Plastid Loci." Systematic Botany, 33(1): pp. 31–36.
- Serbet, Rudolf, and Gar W. Rothwell (1999). "Osmunda cinnamomea (Osmundaceae) in the Upper Cretaceous of western North America: Additional evidence for exceptional species longevity among filicalean ferns." International Journal of Plant Sciences, 160: 425–433.
External links
- USDA Plants treatment: Osmundastrum cinnamomeum (Cinnamon fern)
- Flora of North America: Flora of North America treatment: Osmunda cinnamomea
- Flora of North America: RangeMap: Osmunda cinnamomea
- "Osmunda cinnamomea". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- "Osmunda cinnamomea". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- Flora of Taiwan: Osmunda cinnamomea
- Rook.org - Cinnamon fern description & photo