Medicinal Monday...Marginal Wood Fern

When we think of marginal, we think of something that is not of central importance. In regards to plants, marginal refers to a plant that grows in water adjacent to the edge of land. This elegantly shaped evergreen fern is native to North America and was used medicinally by many indigenous people. The Marginal Wood Fern is present in Connecticut.

About Marginal Wood Fern

Dryopteris marginalis or marginal woodfern has large leathery dark green to bluish green leaves that form a tidy ascending asymmetrical clump. It is a non-spreading perennial. The branches are lance-oblong in shape tapering to a point and stalkless. They have up to 20 leaflets. The lower branches are shorter than the lobed upper branches.  The lower stem is reddish brown and covered with brown scales and the upper stem is green to brown and has no scales. The spores or sori are found on the underside of the leaf near the midrib of the leaf segments, near the margin of the leaf segments. This evergreen fern is very tolerant of dry shade conditions and is often found in shaded crevices of rocky ledges and bluffs from Newfoundland to Georgia and west to Minnesota.

Medicinal Uses

One of the most common uses of this plant by Native American communities was to make an infusion of the root to treat rheumatism. Another common use was to take a warm infusion of this plant to ease the pain of a toothache.  The Cherokee took an infusion of the root as an emetic. The roots of this plant contain filicin, a substance that kills tapeworms, making it one of the most effective treatments for tapeworms. The treatment was followed by a non-oily purgative to expel the worms.

Did You Know...

Marginal Wood Fern resembles Lady Fern.

It gets its name from the spores because they are located at the margin or edge of the underside of the leaflets.

Another name for this plant is Marginal Shield Fern.

Although it is widespread in New England, it was not discovered until 1981 in Minnesota.

A recent study found that the essential oil had antioxidant and antibacterial properties.