''Anchistea'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of leptosporangiate

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

s in the family

Blechnaceae Blechnaceae is a family of ferns in the order Polypodiales, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Its status as a family and the number of genera included have both varied considerably. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 ( ...

. It has only one species, ''Anchistea virginica'' (

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Woodwardia virginica'') the Virginia chain fern, which has long creeping, scaly, underground stems or

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

giving rise to tall (up to about 4 feet, 120 centimetres) widely separated, deciduous, single leaves. In contrast, the leaves of ''

Osmundastrum cinnamomeum ''Osmundastrum'' is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, ''Osmundastrum cinnamomeum'', the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands. I ...

'', which can be mistaken for ''A. virginica'', grow in a group from a crown. Also in contrast to ''O. cinnamomeum'' the leaves are

monomorphic Monomorphic or Monomorphism may refer to: *Monomorphism, an injective homomorphism in mathematics * Monomorphic QRS complex, a wave pattern seen on an electrocardiogram * Monomorphic, a linguistic term meaning "consisting of only one morpheme" *Mo ...

without distinct fertile fronds. The lower petiole or stipe is dark purple to black, shiny and swollen, the upper rachis is dull green. The leaf blade is green and

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

, composed of 12 to 23 paired,

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

pinnatifid Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common Anatomical terms of location#Axes, axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology (biology), morphology, in Crysta ...

pinnae. The pinnae are subdivided into 15 to 20 paired segments that are ovate to oblong. The lower rachis is naked for about half its length. The sori or spore-producing bodies are found on the underside of the pinnae and are long and form a double row which outlines the major veins of the pinnae. In common with all ferns, ''A. virginica'' exhibits a

gametophyte A gametophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has on ...

stage in its life cycle (

alternation of generations Alternation of generations (also known as metagenesis or heterogenesis) is the predominant type of Biological life cycle, life cycle in plants and algae. It consists of a Multicellular organism, multicellular haploid sexual phase, the gametophy ...

) and develops a

haploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...

reproductive

prothallus A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin ''pro'' = forwards and Greek ''θαλλος'' (''thallos'') = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally the term is also used to describe the young ...

as an independent plant. The spores are produced in red-brown sori which line the spaces ( areolae) between the costa and costules. Further photographs can be found at the Connecticut Botanical Society and Ontario Ferns websites.

Taxonomy and evolution

''Anchistea virginica'' was first described by

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

in 1771 as ''Blechnum virginicum''. It was transferred to '' Woodwardia'' by

James Edward Smith James Edward Smith may refer to: * James Edward Smith (botanist), English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society * James Edward Smith (murderer), American murderer * James Edward Smith (politician), Canadian businessman and mayor of Toronto * ...

in 1793, and to ''Anchistea'' by

Carl Presl Carl Borivoj Presl ( cs, Karel Bořivoj Presl; 17 February 1794 – 2 October 1852) was a Czech botanist. Biography Presl lived his entire life in Prague, and was a professor of botany at the University of Prague (1833–52).

in 1851. Some sources retain it in ''Woodwardia'', but the

Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group The Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, or PPG, is an informal international group of systematic botanists who collaborate to establish a consensus on the classification of pteridophytes (lycophytes and ferns) that reflects knowledge about plant relation ...

classification of 2016 (PPG I) retains Presl's genus, making it the sole species in ''Anchistea''. Fossils of ''Anchistea virginica'' have been described from the

Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...

of the U.S. states of Washington and Mississippi, suggesting its range was probably once much more widespread in North America. In the Middle Miocene, ''Anchistea virginica'' apparently occupied similar habitats as in the present day.

Distribution

Endemic to eastern North America from Florida to Nova Scotia and west to Michigan and Illinois. ''A. virginica'' is mostly found on the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

and

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

although it also grows in the eastern Great Lakes region as far west as Illinois. The Flora of North America website has a distribution map.

Ecology and conservation

''Anchistea virginica'' grows in the wet soils of open wet swampy woods, acid bogs, and along streams and roadside ditches, avoiding calcareous substrates. ''A. virginica'' is an important constituent of the field layer of

flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire an ...

, Atlantic white cedar ('' Chamaecyparis thyoides'') swamp forest and bay (''

Magnolia virginiana ''Magnolia virginiana'', most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay (also laurel magnolia, swampbay, swamp magnolia, white bay, or beaver tree), is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be ...

'') forests.

Cultivation and uses

The plant is occasionally cultivated as a greenhouse or garden ornamental. Hardy to USDA Zone 3.

References

External links

American Journal of Botany: Anatomically Preserved ''Woodwardia virginica'' (Blechnaceae) and a new Filicalean Fern From The Middle Miocene Yakima Canyon Flora of Central Washington, USAFlora of North America: ''Woodwardia virginica''Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Data Portal: ''Woodwardia virginica''Hardy Fern LibraryOntario Ferns: ''Woodwardia virginica''USDA plant profile: ''Woodwardia virginica''
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q63565522, from2=Q58677660, from3=Q8033594 virginica Ferns of the United States Plants described in 1771 Flora of North America Monotypic fern genera