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Home/Species/ Lowland Bladderfern

Cystopteris protrusa

(Weatherby) Blasdell

Lowland Bladderfern

G5Secure Found in 8 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149561
Element CodePPDRY07060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumFilicinophyta
ClassFilicopsida
OrderPolypodiales
FamilyCystopteridaceae
GenusCystopteris
Synonyms
Cystopteris fragilis var. protrusaWeath.
Other Common Names
Cystoptère à tige avancée (FR) lowland bladderfern (EN) Lowland Brittle 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
Hybridization and allopolyploidy involving Cystopteris protusa and other North American Cystopteris species have generated several species, including C. tennesseensis and C. tenuis (FNA 1993, vol. 2, also see details about sterile triploids and autotriploids in discussion). This species is included in a synopsis of the genus (Shmakov et al. 2018), and the generic placement of this taxon, in Cystopteris, is in accordance with the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I (2016).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-05-08
Change Date1984-04-24
Edition Date2024-05-08
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Cystopteris protrusa is a perennial fern predominantly in rich woods across eastern and central North America from Ontario, Canada and New York west to Minnesota and Nebraska, south Florida, west to Texas. Threats include development, recreation, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Cystopteris protrusa occurs in eastern and central North America from Ontario, Canada and New York west to Minnesota and Nebraska, south to Georgia and the Florida panhandle, west to eastern Texas. Range extent was estimated to be over 2.1 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 and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 1,100 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by loss of high quality mesic forested habitat (Southern Appalachian Species Viability Project 2002), including development, recreation, invasive species, and other threats in some places, though there is insufficient data, including anecdotal accounts, to understand scope and severity of threats for this species.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cystopteris protrusa grows in "rich woods or on moss- and soil-covered talus in boulderfields, loess bluffs, occasionally on ledges of rock outcrops" (Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2023).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
DelawareS2Yes
KansasS3Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
MarylandSNRYes
South CarolinaS2Yes
MichiganSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
New JerseyS2Yes
OhioSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
IllinoisS4Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
FloridaS1Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
IowaS4Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
New YorkS1Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
MississippiS4Yes
IndianaS5Yes
LouisianaS3Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
NebraskaSNRYes
CanadaN2
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (8)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Joe GapChattahoochee National Forest5,321
Kelly RidgeChattahoochee National Forest8,325
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Ripple HollowShawnee National Forest3,788
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Big Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest1,155
Little Indian (addition)Nantahala National Forest640
Oklahoma (1)
AreaForestAcres
Beech CreekOuachita National Forest8,303
References (10)
  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. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group I. 2016. A Community-Derived Classification for Extant Lycophytes and Ferns. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 54(6): 563–603.
  7. Shmakov, A.I., Batkin, A.A., and A.V. Vaganov. 2018. Synopsis of the genus <i>Cystopteris</i> Bernh. (Cystopteridaceae). Ukrainian Journal of Ecology 8(4): 290-297.
  8. 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.
  9. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  10. 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.