Interrupted Fern
Osmunda claytoniana
Distinctive habit: fertile spore-bearing pinnae appear mid-frond, "interrupting" the leafy green stretches above and below. Statuesque vase shape; one of the oldest fern lineages — fossil record back 200 million years. Young fronds and its fleshy underground core ('fern butter') were historically eaten, but as with most ferns besides ostrich fern, modern foraging guidance discourages it.
- Family
- Osmundaceae
- Type
- fern
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 2–3 ft
- Spacing
- 2–3 ft apart
- Light
- shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Bloom
- June
- Bloom colors
- brown
- Landscape uses
- rain garden, naturalizing
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV