Cinnamon Fern
Osmunda cinnamomea
Family Osmundaceae

Characteristics:
* Sterile fronds tend to grow outwards from the crown.
* Fertile spike-like, spore-covered segments are held erect, turning from green to a golden cinnamon-brown when mature.
* Height: 24-48".

Natural History:
* Fronds appear in early spring.
* Habitat: Acid, damp soil, water-logged areas, moist and shady places, swamp edges.
* Range: Found in nearly every swamp in the United States.
* Native.

Connections!
* "We have the receipt of fern-seed; we walk invisible."
-William Shakespeare, 1564-1616

* The bottom photo shows a close-up of the spore-covered spikes.