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Home/Species/ Clinton's Woodfern

Dryopteris clintoniana

(D.C. Eat.) Dowell

Clinton's Woodfern

G5Secure (G5?) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.139282
Element CodePPDRY0A070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyDryopteridaceae
GenusDryopteris
Synonyms
Dryopteris cristata var. clintoniana(D.C. Eat.) Underwood
Other Common Names
Dryoptère de Clinton (FR)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-30
Change Date2024-09-30
Edition Date2024-09-30
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Dryopteris clintoniana is a perennial fern that is native to the northeastern United States and southern Canada. With a large range extent, more than 250 occurrences, abundant habitat, and broad habitat preferences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Dryopteris clintoniana is found across the northeastern United States and southern Canada from Michigan to New Brunswick and south as far as New Jersey (FNA 1993). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 250 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Dryopteris clintoniana is potentially threatened by development, changes in hydrology, forest management, invasive species, and other threats in some places. Despite occurring in regions of dense development, Dryopteris clintoniana appears to persist in relatively small habitats such as riparian buffers, parks, and local conservation areas (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024). This may be due to its preference for habitats that are too wet for typical development or agriculture.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Dryopteris clintoniana grows in swampy woods and wetland margins (FNA 1993, Native Plant Trust 2024).
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
PennsylvaniaS2Yes
OhioS1Yes
New YorkS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
WisconsinSHYes
New JerseyS2Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
IndianaS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
New HampshireSNRYes
MarylandS1Yes
MaineSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
VirginiaSHYes
DelawareS1Yes
MichiganSNRYes
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS3Yes
OntarioS4Yes
New BrunswickS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
References (6)
  1. 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.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. 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.
  5. Native Plant Trust. 2024. Go Botany website. Online. Available: https://gobotany.newenglandwild.org (accessed 2024).
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).