Woodwardia virginica — Virginia chain fern
![Leaf: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By Arthur Haines. ~ Copyright © 2024 Arthur Haines. ~ arthur.d.haines[at]gmail.com](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-le-ahaines.jpg)
![Detail of leaf and/or divisions: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By David Stone. ~ Copyright © 2024 New England Wild Flower Society. ~ Image Request, images[at]newenglandwild.org](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-ld-dstone.jpg)
![Sori: Woodwardia virginica. ~ By Louis-M. Landry. ~ Copyright © 2024 Louis-M. Landry. ~ LM.Landry[at]videotron.ca ~ CalPhotos - calphotos.berkeley.edu/flora/](https://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Blechnaceae/woodwardia-virginica-so-llandry.jpg)
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
One of the taller ferns in New England, Virginia chain fern tends to grow in lines rather than clumps.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), bogs, marshes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
enlargeCharacteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf divisions
-
- the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
- the leaf blade is twice compound (divided into leaflets, which are further divided into leaflets)
- Plant growth form
- the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
- Spore-bearing leaflets
- the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to the sterile fronds
- Sorus shape
- the sori are long and narrow, and straight
- Leaf stalk scales
- the leaf stalk has scales
- Leaf stalk hairs
- there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
- Leaf blade length
- 28–60 cm
- Leaf vein tips
- the veins go all the way to the edge of the leaf blade
-
Growth form
- Life form
- the plant is herbaceous and terrestrial
- Life stage
- the plant is visible as a typical leaf-bearing fern (sporophyte)
- Spore-bearing leaflets
- the spore-bearing fronds are similar in size and shape to the sterile fronds
-
Leaves
- Features of leaves
- there are no special features on the leaves
- Leaf blade length
- 28–60 cm
- Leaf blade shape
- the leaf blades are widest above the base, then taper narrowly towards the tip (lanceolate)
- Leaf blade width
- At least 12 cm
- Leaf divisions
-
- the leaf blade is compound (divided into leaflets)
- the leaf blade is twice compound (divided into leaflets, which are further divided into leaflets)
- Leaf lifespan
- the leaves drop off in winter
- Leaf stalk color
- yellow to brown
- Leaf stalk hairs
- there are no hairs on the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk length
- 230–805 mm
- Leaf stalk relative length
- the leaf stalk is more than three quarters as long as the blade
- Leaf stalk scale location
- the scales are present only on the lower half of the leaf stalk
- Leaf stalk scales
- the leaf stalk has scales
- Leaf stalk vessels
- 3 to 9 bundles
- Leaf vein branching
- the secondary veins of the leaf blade split and rejoin to form a netlike pattern
- Leaf vein tips
- the veins go all the way to the edge of the leaf blade
- Leaflet relative size
- the bottom leaflets are about half as long as, to slightly longer than, the leaflets from the middle of the frond
- Leaflet stalks
- the leaflets do not have stalks
- Lobe or leaflet length
- 60–160 mm
- Lobe or leaflet pairs
- 12–23
- Lobe or leaflet shape
-
- the lobe or leaflet is extremely narrow, thread-like
- the lobe or leaflet is widest below the middle and tapering at both ends; lance-shaped
- Lobe or leaflet width
- 10–35 mm
- Plant growth form
- the leaves grow from a rhizome growing at or below the ground
- final leaf segment margin
- the topmost lobe or leaflet of the leaf blade has an edge with teeth
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- edges of wetlands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- marshes
- swamps
-
Spores or spore cones
- Sorus features
- there are no special features on the sorus
- Sorus shape
- the sori are long and narrow, and straight
- Sporangia location
- the spores are clustered on sori on the lower surface of the leaf blade
- Sporangium type
- the sporangia are opaque without an annulus and usually without a stalk (leptosporangiate)
- Spore forms
- there is only one type of spore present
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Vermont
- extremely rare (S-rank: S1), threatened (code: T)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Woodwardia virginica (L.) Smith N
Virginia chain fern. Blechnum virginicum L. • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Acid soil of swamps, bogs, marshes, and ditches.