American Climbing Fern Lygodium palmatum (Berhardi) SwartzThreatened (MD)  -  S2 (State rare)    Synonyms: Climbing Fern, Hartford Fern.
Kingdom Plantae   >   Division Pteridophyta   >   Class Polypodiopsida   >   Order Schizaeales   >   Family Lygodiaceae   >   Genus Lygodium   

Status:

The only member of its mostly tropical genus native to North America. It behaves more like a vine than a fern, climbing by twining around trees and other plants. It is rare throughout much of its range from New England to the Southeast. In Maryland, it is state rare (S2) and listed as threatened. Also known as Hartford Fern, a Connecticut law written to prevent over-collection might have been our first plant protection law.

There are 112 records in the project database.

View at Maryland Plant Atlas

Search Flora of North America

Search Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium

Search Norton-Brown Herbarium

View taxon at iNaturalist

View taxon at NatureServe

Search Google Images

Search MBP Facebook posts (beta | requires login)


[View seasonality details]
GAALWAFRCLMO HO BA BC HA CE PG AA CV CH SM KE QACNTADO WI SOWO 
American Climbing Fern in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/17/2012). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in winter in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/9/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in winter in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/9/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in Wicomico Co., Maryland (8/30/2013). Photo by Jim Stasz. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in winter in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/9/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in winter in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/9/2013). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

The fertile fronds of American Climbing Fern in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (11/30/2018). Photo by Matt Grey. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in Worcester Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Deborah Barber, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Deborah Barber via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

American Climbing Fern in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Wayne Longbottom, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)


View All Images

Use of images featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.