EMILY de CAMP HERBARIUM


COMMON NAME: Royal Fern
OTHER COMMON NAME(S):
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Osmunda regalis
FAMILY: Osmundaceae
COMMUNITY: Freshwater Wetland
STATUS: Native
LIFESPAN: Perennial
HEIGHT: 1.5 to 6 feet
FLOWERTING TIME: Mature spores mid-May to mid-June
FRUITING TIME:
DISTRIBUTION: Newfoundland to Florida ~ Statewide in NJ, especially common in northern uplands.
IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Rhizomes (underground stems) ~ Leaves divided into segments

GENERAL INFORMATION: According to folklore the spores, found at the end of the fonds, posses mythical properties that were most powerful during the summer and winter solstices. At Christmas the spores symbolized the hidden fire of the winter sun, while in summer fern spores collected within three days of Midsummer’s Eve were said to glow like gold or yellow fire. Myth holds that whomever holds the spores on Midsummer’s Eve and climbs a mountain will discover a vein of gold. In Russia, a similar tradition was that if the fern spores were tossed into the air on Midsummer’s Eve, treasure will be found buried at the spot where they fall.

In Medieval textbooks, fern spores were believed to have the property of making a person who swallowed it invisible, defending against evil spirits, and protecting against thunder and lightning. These beliefs encouraged growing ferns on walls and roofs of houses and placing fern leaves around door sills. membrane contact. Plants in this family are used in homeopathic dilutionÕs, as a constituent of combination preparations and in various tea mixtures. Native Americans used blue flag to treat sore throat and as a powerful cathartic. The crushed root infusion (medicine prepared by steeping the flower or leaves in a liquid without boiling) was taken to induce paralysis, as an emetic and at menses to induce conception. ÒIrisÓ was the Greek name of the plant and referred to the nymph Iris who personified the rainbow and appeared in the Iliad as a messenger form the gods to men. According to the Oxford Dictionary, iris, with the meaning ÒrainbowÓ, first appears in English in 1480 and was the colored portion of the eye first in 1525.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails. This information is presented for educational purposes.