''Comptonia peregrina'' is a species of
flowering plant in the family
Myricaceae. It is the only extant (living) species in the genus ''
Comptonia'',
although a number of extinct species are placed in the genus. ''Comptonia peregrina'' is native to eastern North America, from southern
Quebec, east to
Nova Scotia, south to the extreme north of
Georgia, and west to
Minnesota. The common name is sweetfern or sweet-fern (although it is not a
fern), or in Quebec, .
[
]
Etymology
The genus ''Comptonia'' is named in honor of Rev. Henry Compton (1632-1713), bishop of Oxford.
The species name ''peregrina'' literally means ''one that travels''. Compare the plant's Quebec French name, ''comptonie voyageuse'': "traveling comptonia."
Description
''Comptonia peregrina'' is a deciduous shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
, growing to tall. The leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
of the plant are linear to lanceolate, long and broad, with a lobed margin; they give off a sweet odor, especially when crushed. Plants are monoecious
Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy.
Monoecy is conne ...
with separate unisexual flowers. The staminate flowers grow in clusters at the ends of branches, and are up to long. The pistillate flowers are only , but elongate when the fruits form, reaching .[
]
Taxonomy
The species was first described, as ''Liquidambar peregrina'', by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, in the second volume of ''Species Plantarum
' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...
''. Further on in the same volume, he described ''Myrica aspleniifolia'' as a different species (with the epithet spelt ''asplenifolia''[). In 1763, he changed his mind concerning ''Myrica aspleniifolia'', and it became ''Liquidambar aspleniifolia'', and so in the same genus as ''Liquidambar peregrina''.][ In 1789, Charles Louis L'Héritier placed Linnaeus's original ''Myrica aspleniifolia'' in his new genus ''Comptonia''.]John M. Coulter
John Merle Coulter, Ph. D. (November 20, 1851 – December 23, 1928) was an American botanist and educator. In his career in education administration, Coulter is notable for serving as the president of Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana Univ ...
transferred Linnaeus's ''Liquidambar peregrina'' to ''Comptonia'', and treated Linnaeus's ''Myrica aspleniifolia'' as a 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 ...
.[
]
Distribution and habitat
''Comptonia peregrina'' is native to eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec in the north, east to Nova Scotia, to Georgia in the south, and west to Minnesota.[ It tends to grow on dry sandy sites, and is associated with pine stands.][
]
Ecology
''Comptonia peregrina'' is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
species, including ''Bucculatrix paroptila
''Bucculatrix paroptila'' is a moth in the family Bucculatricidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Maine, Massachusetts, Ontario and Nova Scotia. It was described by Annette Frances Braun in 1963.
The larvae feed on ...
'', grey pug, setaceous Hebrew character, Io moth
''Automeris io'', the Io moth () or peacock moth, is a colorful North American moth in the family Saturniidae. The io moth is also a member of the subfamily Hemileucinae. The name Io comes from Greek mythology in which Io was a mortal lover of ...
, and several '' Coleophora'' case-bearers: '' C. comptoniella'', '' C. peregrinaevorella'' (which feeds exclusively on ''Comptonia''), '' C. persimplexella'', '' C. pruniella'' and '' C. serratella''. It is also a non-legume nitrogen fixer.
Uses and consumption
The plant produces a bristly burr that contains 1 to 4 edible nutlets.
The aromatic leaves (fresh or dried) are also used to make a tea. The Canadian author Catharine Parr Traill
Catharine Parr Traill (born Strickland; 9 January 1802 – 29 August 1899) was an English-Canadian author and naturalist who wrote about life in Canada, particularly what is now Ontario (then the colony of Upper Canada). In the 1830s, Canada ...
includes it in her book ''The Female Emigrant's Guide'' in a list of substitutes for China tea. "When boiled," she notes, "it has a slightly resinous taste, with a bitter flavour, that is not very unpleasant." Mistaking it, like others, for a fern, she says that it is in high repute "among the Yankee and old Canadian housewifes (sic)." Tea made from the plant has been said to treat the effects of poison ivy when applied to the affected area. The plant has also been used as a seasoning.
Notes
References
External links
USDA Plants Profile for ''Comptonia peregrina'' (sweet fern)Flora of North America: ''Comptonia peregrina''
*
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q929465, from2=Q21976166, from3=Q21977546
Myricaceae
Flora of Eastern Canada
Flora of the North-Central United States
Flora of the Northeastern United States
Flora of the Southeastern United States
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Taxa named by John Merle Coulter
Plants described in 1753
Flora without expected TNC conservation status