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Blechnum serrulatum Rich.
Swamp fern, Toothed midsorus fern

Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann

Family: Blechnaceae

Group: Pteridophyte

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Herb

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Secure

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. Reported by John Kunkel Small in 1918 for Royal Palm Hammock. See a 2018 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on three wet and dry adaptations of the swamp fern.

Other data on Blechnum serrulatum available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Blechnum serrulatum has been found in the following 112 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
A.D. Doug Barnes Park Present Native
Allapattah Flats Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Babcock Ranch Preserve Present Native
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Native
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Biscayne National Park Present Native, Cultivated Only
Blazing Star Preserve Present Native
Bocilla Preserve Present Native
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Native
Caloosahatchee Regional Park Present Native
Cayo Costa State Park Present Native
Cedar Point Environmental Park Present Native
Coconut Creek Maple Swamp Natural Area Present Native
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) Present Native
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Native
Crandon Park Present Native
Cypress Knee Slough Preserve Present Native
Danforth Park Present Native
Daskas Present Native
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Native
Delray Beach, Lake Ida parcel Present Native
Delray Oaks Natural Area Present Native
Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve Natural Area Present Native
Dupuis Reserve Present Native
Enchanted Forest Park Present Native
Estero Bay Preserve State Park Present Native
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Native
Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Florida Atlantic University Ecological Site Present Native
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Fred C. Babcock-Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Frenchman's Forest Natural Area Present Native
Gomez Present Native
Grassy Waters Preserve Present Native
Greynolds Park Present Native
Halpatiokee Regional Park Present Native
Hawk's Hammock Park Present Native
Hickey Creek Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Native
Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Holey Land Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Holiday Hammock Present Native
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Native
J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area Present Native
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Present Native
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present Native
Juno Dunes Natural Area Present Native
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area Present Native
Jupiter Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park Present Native
Kendalwood Present Native
Kiplinger Present Native
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Native
LaBelle Nature Park Present Native
Larry and Penny Thompson Park Present Native
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Native
Loveland Hammock Present Native
Loxahatchee River Natural Area Present Native
Loxahatchee River-Lake Worth Creek Aquatic Preserve Present Native
Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area Present Native
Lucille Hammock Present Native
Ludlam Pineland Present Native
Military Trail Natural Area Present Native
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Native
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Native
Nicodemus Slough Present Native
Nixon Smiley Pineland Preserve Present Native
Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area - FWC, Okaloacoochee Slough Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Okeeheelee Park Present Native
Palm Drive Pineland Present Native
Pal-Mar Present Native
Pal-Mar Natural Area Present Native
Peck Lake Park Present Native
Picayune Strand State Forest Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Native
Pine Jog Environmental Sciences Center Present Native
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Native
Prairie Pines Preserve Present Native
Railhead Scrub Preserve Present Native
Rock Pit 39 Present Native
Rocky Point Hammock Present Native
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Present Native
Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area Present Native
Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area Present Native
Savannas Preserve State Park Present Native
Scrub Oak Park Present Native
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Native
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Native
Serenoa Glade Preserve Present Native
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Present Native
South Dade Wetlands Present Native
Southern Glades Present Native
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Native
Tilton Present Native
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Native
Trail Glades Range Present Native
Tree Island Park Present Native
Tree Tops Park Present Native
Virginia Key Beach Park and Marine Stadium Present Native, Cultivated Only
Warbler Wetland Natural Area Present Native
Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Present Native
Woodmont Natural Area Present Native
Yamato Scrub Natural Area Present Native
Yellow Fever Creek Preserve Present Native

Blechnum serrulatum has been found in the following 10 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Broward County Native
Charlotte County Native
Collier County Native
Glades County Native
Hendry County Native
Lee County Native
Martin County Native
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Native

Blechnum serrulatum has been found in the following 25 habitats :
Alluvial Forest
Basin Marsh
Baygall
Bayhead
Blackwater Stream
Depression Marsh
Disturbed Wetland
Dome Swamp
Floodplain Marsh
Floodplain Swamp
Freshwater Tidal Swamp
Hydric Hammock
Marl Prairie
Marsh Lake
Mesic Flatwoods
Mesic Hammock
Pine Rockland
Prairie Hammock
Rockland Hammock
Sinkhole
Slough
Strand Swamp
Swale
Wet Flatwoods
Wet Prairie

All Images:

Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann
Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: Susan Trammell
Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: George D. Gann
Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Blechnum serrulatum
Copyright by: Shirley Denton