Taxonomy
When communicating about plants, it is important to identify each species using its scientific binomial name. Theoretically, there should only be one binomial name for each plant, but there are many authorities, and molecular data is changing our understanding of the evolution and relationships between living organisms. Organizations that Walmer Woodlands partner with do not always agree on how plants should be classified. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend these varying viewpoints to ensure we are aligned on the specific plant being discussed.
The NC State Plant Toolbox under the guidance of Scott Zona, uses the classification system developed by the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew called Plants of the World Online (POWO). POWO provides references to how and when plants were named along with a list of recognized synonyms to help understand some of the name variations.
The NC Botanical Garden created an app called FloraQuest, which focuses on native plants in the Southeastern United States.
Tony Avent, the founder of the Juniper Level Botanical Garden / Plants Delight Nursery in Raleigh, NC, has been generous in sharing his knowledge. He recently directed me to a research article entitled, “A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns” published in the Journal of Systematics and Evolution (November 2016). This article describes a group called the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group, which aims to create a consensus opinion regarding lycophytes and ferns specifically.
Finally, Brian Aiken, who is the curator for the American Fern Society spore exchange program, has been incredibly generous in sharing his techniques for spore harvesting / culturing and fern identification. Brian also uses the classification system developed by POWO.
Sori of Dryopteris marginalis
Marginal wood fern
Dawn Sherman
CC BY-NC 4.0
How to collect spores
- American Fern Society (AFS)
- British Pteridological Society BPS
American Fern Society fern propagation / spore viability test
Spores are sown on sterilized Pro-Mix HP soil or hydroponic agar and maintained for 8-16 weeks at room temperature 11 inches below two 20W cool white, fluorescent tubes (or equivalent) illuminated 14 hours per day.
I have been using clear, plastic or glass food storage containers containing PRO-MIX HP MYCORRHIZAE™ as my substrate and potting soil for young plants. This medium is a high porosity peat-based growing medium containing, beneficial mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus intraradices). This formula ensures optimum growth, especially when high air capacity and extra drainage are required. It is ideal for water sensitive crops, rooting cutting and/or low-light growing conditions.
separating spores from chaf
separating spores from chaf
Ferns propagated from spores at Walmer Woodlands
separating spores from chaf
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