39. MASSACHUSETTS FERN
Aspidium simulatum (Dryopteris simulata)
New Hampshire to the Indian Territory, in wooded swamps. One to more than three feet high.
Fronds.—Oblong-lance-shaped, little or not at all narrowed at the base, rather thin, pinnate; pinnæ lance-shaped, cut into oblong, obtuse segments, which are slightly reflexed in the fertile fronds, veins not forked; fruit-dots rather large, somewhat distant; indusium "withering-persistent."
This species closely resembles the Marsh Fern. The less revolute margins of the fertile frond, the simple veins, its thinner texture, and its more distant fruit-dots aid in its identification. It is found in woodland swamps from New Hampshire to the Indian Territory.
PLATE XXVII
SPINULOSE WOOD FERN
Aspidium spinulosum, var. intermedium
a Portion of fertile pinnule