Interupted Fern, Showing Spores

Interupted Fern, June 7, 2005
This photograph shows how interupted fern got its name. The frond (leaf) of the mature plant is interupted by dark brown structures that produce the spores. Both above and below the spores, you can see the pinnules (leaflets) that give the frond its feathery appearance. Cinnamon fern is a close relative of the interupted fern, but the cinnamon fern spores develop on a separate stalk that resembles a cinnamon stick.