E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Dryopteris cristata (L.) A. Gray
crested wood fern (crested woodfern)
Dryopteridaceae (Wood Fern family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ryan Batten  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #66906)

 E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Dryopteris cristata
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Species Information

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General:
Evergreen perennial arising in small clusters from a short, stout rhizome.
Leaves:
Dimorphic; sterile leaves leathery, narrowly oblong, 20-75 cm long, 5-15 cm wide, 1-pinnate, the pinnae deeply cut, the margins toothed; fertile leaves withering after the spores are shed, irregularly 1-pinnate, the pinnae triangular, irregularly incised.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Brown
Blooming Period:
Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Wet swamps and meadows in the steppe and montane zones; rare in WC and S BC; circumpolar, E to NF and S to MA, NC, GA, AL, MO, ND, MT, ID and WA; Europe; W Asia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Dryopteris cristata

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 650 977 1500
Slope Gradient (%) 0 9 36
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		20 288 345
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		3 4 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 16
Modal BEC Zone Class
 SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(2), ICH(1), SBS(5)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Dryopteris ×poyseri Wherry
Dryopteris cristata var. clintoniana (D.C. Eaton) Underw.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Dryopteridaceae
 Flora North America treatment for Dryopteris cristata
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-18 4:03:06 AM ]
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