interrupted fern

American  

noun

1. a tall fern, Osmunda claytoniana, of eastern North America and eastern Asia, having an interruption of growth in the center of some fronds.

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Example Sentences

“In the early stages of growth, before the appearance of the sporangia, the interrupted fern is easily confused with the cinnamon fern. Luckily, there are several ways the careful observer might tell them apart....”

From Literature

The discrete spore leaves of the interrupted fern looked like a bed of Brillo pads, she said, until she could find their more subtle contours by looking much closer.

From Washington Post

There is no doubt what species is meant when one speaks of the Christmas fern, the ostrich fern, the long beech fern, the interrupted fern, etc.

From Project Gutenberg

Here, too, you meet with the interrupted fern, whose graceful, sterile fronds fall away in every direction, holding you captive with its charm.

From Project Gutenberg

The interrupted fern is rather common in damp, rocky woods and pastures; Newfoundland to Minnesota, south to North Carolina and Missouri.

From Project Gutenberg