Osmundastrum cinnamomeum

Cinnamon Fern

Osmundaceae

Also known as Osmunda cinnamomea

Plant Specifics

Form:	Fern
Size:	3-4 ft ft tall by as broad as tall ft wide.  Does not spread.
Life Span:	Long-lived perennial
Flower Color:	NA
Fruit Color:	Orange
Phenology:	Deciduous to evergreen. Fertile fronds appear in spring and again in the fall.
Noted for:	Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:	Useful as a specimen in moist areas and in rain gardens or bioswales. Its urn shape and orange spore producing fertile leaves make this fern attractive as an individual specimen in areas that have adequate moisture. Large size and grace are its principal appeal. Evergreen in south-central FL. Deciduous in north FL.
Propagation:
Availability:	Native nurseries, Quality nurseries, Specialty providers
Light:	Part Shade,  Shade
Moisture Tolerance:	always floodedextremely dry
	(Stays Wet ----- to ----- Somewhat moist, no flooding)
Moisture Tolerance:	Stays Wet ----- to ----- Somewhat moist, no flooding
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:	Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance:	Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or other substrate:	Organic material (muck), Sand
Soil pH:	Acidic

Ecology

Wildlife:
Insects:
Native Habitats:	This species typically grows on seepage edges of swamps and in the upper reaches of baygalls (bay swamps). It is not found in long-term standing water though it grows well on rotten logs and hummocks in swamps. It is an indicator of seepage conditions.

Distribution and Planting Zones

Comments

General Comments:

Called cinnamon fern because of the color of its fertile fronds. In Florida it sends up its fertile fronds in the spring and fall; farther north in its large range, the fertile fronds only emerge in the spring.