SWEET FERN
Comptonia peregrina (L.) Coulter. Synonyms.-Comptonia asplenifolia Gaertn.; Myrica asplenifolia L.; Liquidambar asplenifolia L.; Liquidambar peregrina L. Other common names.-Fern gale, fern bush, meadow fern, shrubby fern, Canada sweet gale, spleenwort bush, sweet bush, sweet ferry.
Habitat and range.-Sweet fern is usually found on hillsides, in dry soil, in Canada and the northeastern United States. It is indigenous.
Description.-The fragrant odor and. the resemblance of the leaves of this plant to those of a fern have given rise to the common name "sweet fern." It is a shrub with reddish-brown bark, growing from about 1 to 3 feet in height, with slender, erect or spreading branches, the leaves hairy when young. The thin narrow leaves are borne on short stalks and are linear oblong or linear lance shaped, about 3 to 6 inches long and from one-fourth to half an inch wide, deeply divided into many lobes, the margins of which are generally entire or sparingly toothed. The catkins expand with the leaves.
The staminate or male flowers are produced in cylindrical catkins in clusters at the ends of the branches and are about an inch in length, the kidney-shaped scales overlapping. The pistillate or female flowers are borne in egg-shaped or roundish-oval catkins, the eight awl-shaped bractlets persisting and surrounding the one-seeded, shining, lightbrown nut, giving it a burlike appearance.
The whole plant has a spicy, aromatic odor, which is more pronounced when the leaves are bruised. Sweet fern belongs to the bayberry family (Myricaceae).
Herbal Treatment Of Ear Infection
The Herbal Hair Regrowth Solution
SWEET FERN
Funeral service for Fern Barr Gudauskas, 74, of Auburn, Ala., will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008, at Auburn Church of Christ. Ministers Jim Brinkerhoff and Tom Steed are ...
Read moreFern Barr Gudauskas - Commercial News
From inside Phyllis and Robert Totaro's fine arts gallery in downtown Wellesley, visitors have more breathtaking views of Boston than they could ever get from atop the Prudential ...
Read moreSee Boston from Wellesley - Daily News Transcript
THE TWELFTH ANNUAL BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FINE ARTS SHOW kicks off on Thursday, November 13, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. with a Gala Preview that will benefit the Boston Symphony Orchestra ...
Read more