Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Royal Fern

Osmunda spectabilis

Willd.

Royal Fern

G5Secure Found in 47 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146259
Element CodePPOSM01032
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderFilicales
FamilyOsmundaceae
GenusOsmunda
Synonyms
Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis(Willd.) Gray
Other Common Names
American Royal Fern (EN) Osmonde royale (FR) royal 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
Sylvestre et al. (2022) and Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team (2024) recognize O. spectabilis at the species level. In contrast, FNA (1993, vol. 2) and Kartesz (1994) recognize it as a variety of O. regalis. The generic placement of this taxon is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-05-16
Change Date2000-02-09
Ecology & Habitat
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
New HampshireSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
LouisianaSNRYes
KentuckyS4Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
DelawareS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MichiganSNRYes
New JerseyS5Yes
IllinoisSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
IowaSNRYes
South CarolinaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
KansasS1Yes
FloridaS5Yes
OhioSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
Prince Edward IslandS4Yes
QuebecS5Yes
Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (47)
Alabama (2)
AreaForestAcres
Oakey MountainTalladega National Forest6,129
Reed BrakeTalladega National Forest621
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
Florida (4)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Clear LakeApalachicola National Forest5,592
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
SavannahApalachicola National Forest1,927
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Boggs CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,073
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Rocky MountainChattahoochee National Forest4,269
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
Maine (1)
AreaForestAcres
Caribou - Speckled ExtWhite Mountain National Forest5,988
Michigan (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear SwampHuron-Manistee National Forest3,915
DeliriumHiawatha National Forest190
Minnesota (3)
AreaForestAcres
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Cabin CreekSuperior National Forest6,071
Hegman LakesSuperior National Forest675
New Hampshire (2)
AreaForestAcres
Carr MountainWhite Mountain National Forest17,110
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
North Carolina (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
Oklahoma (1)
AreaForestAcres
Beech CreekOuachita National Forest8,303
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clarion RiverAllegheny National Forest3,821
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wambaw ExtFrancis Marion National Forest527
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Stone MountainCherokee National Forest5,367
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Vermont (5)
AreaForestAcres
Bread LoafGreen Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,768
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
Lye Brook Addition 09085Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,111
Wilder Mountain 09082Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests8,759
Woodford 09086Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests2,456
Virginia (7)
AreaForestAcres
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Little RiverGeorge Washington National Forest27,292
Little Walker MountainJefferson National Forest9,818
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
Mountain Lake Addition B (VA)Jefferson National Forest3,405
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
West Virginia (5)
AreaForestAcres
Dry ForkMonongahela National Forest657
Glady ForkMonongahela National Forest3,239
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Mottesheard (WV)Jefferson National Forest3,964
Mountain Lake Addition B (WV)Jefferson National Forest557
References (5)
  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. 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.
  3. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
  4. Sylvestre, L.D.S., Costa, F.S.N. and M.D. Arana. 2022. A revision of the fern family Osmundaceae in Brazil. Acta Botanica Brasilica, 36:e2020abb0537.
  5. 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.