Lygodium palmatum
(Bernh.) Sw.
Climbing Fern
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
HighThreat Impact
chris buelow, CC BY-NC 4.0
Andrew Gorman, CC BY-NC 4.0
Andrew Gorman, CC BY-NC 4.0
Andrew Gorman, CC BY-NC 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.141390
Element CodePPSCH02030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyLygodiaceae
GenusLygodium
Synonyms
Gisopteris palmataBernh.
Other Common Names
American climbing fern (EN) American Climbing Fern (EN) Creeping Fern (EN) Hartford Fern (EN) Windsor Fern (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
The generic placement of this taxon, in Lygodium, is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-06-24
Change Date1984-06-07
Edition Date2024-06-24
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactHigh
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Lygodium palmatum is a perennial, vining fern in a variety of wet habitats that is generally local and rare in the eastern United States from Maine west to Michigan and south to Georgia and Alabama except for the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee where it is locally abundant. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, succession, and invasive species; this species may be locally abundant after disturbance and does not tolerate shading. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Lygodium palmatum occurs in the eastern United States from Maine west to Michigan and south to Georgia and Alabama; it "is generally local and rare except for the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee where it is locally abundant" (FNA 1993). Range extent was estimated to be over 1.5 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, land-use conversion and habitat fragmentation present low-level threats to this species (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002), with additional threats from development, rights-of-way maintenance, recreational activities, succession, invasive species, and other threats in some places. Logging activities may benefit this species if the habitat is opened, especially as this species can be localy abundant after disturbance (FNA 1993). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Lygodium palmatum grows in woods, swamp forests, moist thickets, sandstone outcrops, and bog margins in humus-rich, acid soils and in roadside ditches and roadbanks (FNA 1993, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandBare rock/talus/scree
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| New York | S1 | Yes |
| Alabama | S1 | Yes |
| Massachusetts | S3 | Yes |
| Vermont | S1 | Yes |
| West Virginia | S3 | Yes |
| Georgia | S2 | Yes |
| Michigan | S1 | Yes |
| Kentucky | S5 | Yes |
| Maine | SNR | Yes |
| Rhode Island | S2 | Yes |
| Tennessee | S4 | Yes |
| South Carolina | S3 | Yes |
| Indiana | S1 | Yes |
| Ohio | SNR | Yes |
| Delaware | S1 | Yes |
| Connecticut | S3 | Yes |
| New Jersey | S2 | Yes |
| Maryland | S2 | Yes |
| North Carolina | S3 | Yes |
| District of Columbia | SH | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | S3 | Yes |
| Virginia | S3 | Yes |
| New Hampshire | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Residential & commercial development | Large - restricted | Moderate - slight | High (continuing) |
| 4 - Transportation & service corridors | Restricted (11-30%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 5 - Biological resource use | Restricted - small | Unknown | High (continuing) |
| 5.3 - Logging & wood harvesting | Restricted - small | Unknown | High (continuing) |
| 6 - Human intrusions & disturbance | Small (1-10%) | Moderate - slight | High (continuing) |
| 6.1 - Recreational activities | Small (1-10%) | Moderate - slight | High (continuing) |
| 7 - Natural system modifications | Large (31-70%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 7.1 - Fire & fire suppression | Large (31-70%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensity | Large (31-70%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Restricted (11-30%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Restricted (11-30%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
| 8.1.1 - Unspecified species | Restricted (11-30%) | Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline | High (continuing) |
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (20)
Georgia (3)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Gap | Chattahoochee National Forest | 5,321 |
| Lance Creek | Chattahoochee National Forest | 9,025 |
| Patterson Gap | Chattahoochee National Forest | 1,186 |
Kentucky (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Wolfpen | Daniel Boone National Forest | 2,835 |
North Carolina (8)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Bald Mountain | Pisgah National Forest | 11,085 |
| Big Indian (addition) | Nantahala National Forest | 1,155 |
| Jarrett Creek | Pisgah National Forest | 7,485 |
| Linville Gorge Addition | Pisgah National Forest | 2,809 |
| South Mills River | Pisgah National Forest | 8,588 |
| Tusquitee Bald | Nantahala National Forest | 13,670 |
| Wesser Bald | Nantahala National Forest | 4,061 |
| Wilson Creek | Pisgah National Forest | 4,863 |
South Carolina (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Big Mountain | Sumter National Forest | 2,337 |
Tennessee (3)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Bald Mountain | Cherokee National Forest | 11,743 |
| Big Laurel Branch Addition | Cherokee National Forest | 5,577 |
| Stone Mountain | Cherokee National Forest | 5,367 |
Virginia (3)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lake Addition A | Jefferson National Forest | 1,469 |
| Mountain Lake Addition B (VA) | Jefferson National Forest | 3,405 |
| North Fork Pound | Jefferson National Forest | 4,757 |
West Virginia (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Lake Addition B (WV) | Jefferson National Forest | 557 |
References (9)
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1993a. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 2. Pteridophytes and gymnosperms. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xvi + 475 pp.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
- iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
- Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
- NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
- Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
- Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project. 2002. A partnership between the U.S. Forest Service-Region 8, Natural Heritage Programs in the Southeast, NatureServe, and independent scientists to develop and review data on 1300+ regionally and locally rare species in the Southern Appalachian and Alabama region. Database (Access 97) provided to the U.S. Forest Service by NatureServe, Durham, North Carolina.
- Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
- Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.