Plant index
Specimen record
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Specimen collection
Category
Fern
Status
Native
Family
Osmundaceae
Abundance
Common
Description
A large, stately fern of wet habitats, forming impressive vase-shaped clumps along streams and in swampy ground. Named for its distinctive cinnamon-brown fertile fronds that emerge in spring before the green vegetative fronds fully open.
Identification tips
- 1Separate fertile fronds (cinnamon-brown, covered in spore masses) in spring
- 2Large once-pinnate green vegetative fronds up to 1.5m tall
- 3Woolly tufts of rusty-brown hairs at base of each pinna
- 4Forms large vase-shaped clumps in wet areas
- 5Pinnae not lobed to midrib (unlike interrupted fern)
Specimen & preservation notes
Press individual pinnae rather than full fronds (too large). Include a fertile pinna if available. Fronds may require extra weight and time (3 weeks) for full pressing. Collect from established clumps only.
Habitats
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 |
CollectibleCurrent weekNot collectible
Collection notes
May Wk 1,2,3,4Fertile fronds (cinnamon-colored) visible
Jun Wk 1,2,3,4Full vegetative fronds for pressing
Jul Wk 1,2Large mature fronds
Season check
No flowering records for this species yet.
Jan
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May
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Dec
Guide collection windowObserved flowering
Flowering records: 0 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 1606 observations within 25 km