Specimen record
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Description
The largest fern native to eastern North America, royal fern can reach 1.5 meters or more in favorable wet habitats. Its twice-pinnate fronds with widely spaced, oblong pinnules look quite unlike a typical fern — more like a locust tree's compound leaf. The fertile portion is a distinctive cluster of brown sporangia at the tip of each fertile frond, resembling a flower cluster. New spring growth emerges with a coppery-red tint.
Identification tips
- 1Twice-pinnate fronds with widely spaced, oblong pinnules that look un-fern-like
- 2Fertile sporangia clustered at frond tips, turning dark brown — resembles a flower head
- 3Very large ferns (up to 1.5 m) forming massive clumps in swamps and stream edges
- 4New spring growth coppery-red to bronze before turning green
- 5Pinnules without the typical fern 'lacy' look — blunt-tipped, widely spaced, entire-margined
Specimen & preservation notes
Press a section of frond including both vegetative pinnae and the fertile tip. The widely spaced pinnules make pressing easy. Include a close-up of the sporangial cluster at the frond tip. Royal fern is large — select a frond section that fits standard herbarium paper.
Habitats
Collection calendar
| Wk | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
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| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 |
Collection notes
Season check
No flowering records for this species yet.
Flowering records: 0 iNaturalist observations, Massachusetts · Nearby: 634 observations within 25 km