Osmunda regalis

Royal fern ( Osmunda regalis )

Called The Royal Fern ( Osmunda regalis ), and Common Rispenfarn or king - Rispenfarn, a plant belonging to the family of Königsfarngewächse is ( Osmundaceae ). The genus Osmunda ( Osmunda ) comprises about 10 to 15 species. Osmunda regalis is the only European representative.

Description

The Boston fern is a handsome, perennial fern which can be high to 160 ( 200) cm. From the rhizome develop more upright fronds are long stalked annually. The sterile, bright green leaf parts are bipinnate grow spread. Unlike many other ferns, the sporangia ( sori of sporangia ) are not on the underside of leaves. Instead, are separated from the sterile blade parts, converted the top of the fronds the leaflets in rust-brown, wearing only sporangia ährig arranged sections. This strict functional division into a green, sterile Nährblatt and a brown fertiles spores sheet is interpreted as evolutionarily primordial feature in comparison to other, more "modern " fern species. As such, the simple fork -piece Vein of leaflets is interpreted.

The spore maturation takes place in the months of June and July. The spores are designed for rapid germination and do not tolerate long dry period. In autumn, the fronds are obsolete; the above-ground parts of the plant die off.

Occurrence

The distribution is cosmopolitan in the temperate latitudes of the northern and southern hemisphere. In Europe, the western part is populated. Within Germany, a clear focus on the Atlantic, with mild winter climate region in the northwestern lowlands can be seen. In central mountains of the fern usually missing. The species is due to population declines due to habitat destruction as a " high risk " and is under protection ( " special protection " among other things by the Federal Species Protection Ordinance ).

The Boston fern occurs on thin places in swamp forests, in meadows and bog shrubs, in and to the trenches and on damp, shady forest edges on acid, peaty - rich, wet-dry to waterlogged, moderately nutrient-poor, low base sand, clay and fen soils. The plant is therefore applicable as a semi shade plant and wet hands.

Swell

• Eckhard Garve: Atlas of endangered ferns and flowering plants in Lower Saxony and Bremen ( = nature conservation and landscape management in Lower Saxony Volume 30. ). 1994, ISBN 3-922321-68-2.
• Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: Image Atlas of ferns and flowering plants in Germany. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4.
• Henning Haeupler, Peter Schoenfelder: Atlas of ferns and flowering plants of the Federal Republic of Germany. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1988, ISBN 3-8001-3434-9.
• Bruno P. Kremer, Hermann Muhle: lichens, mosses, ferns ( Steinbach nature guide ). Mosaic, Munich 1991, ISBN 3-576-10762-2.
• Dictionary of Biology. Volume 5, Katabiose to mime. Herder, Freiburg, 1985, ISBN 3-451-19645- X.