Plants

Ferns and Orchids

Ferns and Orchids can be found in a variety of habitats throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Lady Slippers may be found on the Limestone Barrens of the Northern Peninsula, and also nestled in the forests of the west coast. Ferns are found everywhere, from screen slopes and cliff edges to limestone barrens and forest floors

  • Fifty native fern species and 37 native orchid species are found in Newfoundland and Labrador.  Two orchid species and two fern species are exotic.
  • Newfoundland has almost twice as many fern species as Labrador; more than one-quarter of the species in Newfoundland and more than one-third in Labrador May Be at Risk.
  • Newfoundland also has twice as many recorded orchid species as Labrador; however, much of Labrador has not yet been surveyed. 

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Highlights from the 2000 Ferns & Orchids

General Status Assessments

  • All ferns are native; however, three species were Not Assessed under the 2000 assessments; 
  • Thirteen of 50 fern species in Newfoundland and nine of 26 in Labrador May Be at Risk; 
  • Twenty-two fern species in Newfoundland and nine in Labrador are Secure;
  • Newfoundland has 39 recorded orchid species;
  • Labrador has less than half of that number, with 15 recorded orchid species; Eight of Newfoundland’s Orchid Species May Be at Risk; 
  • Only two orchids are Exotic.

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General Status of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Ferns

Order Family Common Name Scientific Name Newfoundland Labrador Provincial
Filicales Aspleniaceae Maidenhair Spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes May be at Risk May be at Risk
Green Spleenwort Asplenium viride Secure May be at Risk Secure
Dennstaedtiaceae Hayscented Hern Dennstaedtia punctilobula May be at Risk May be at Risk
Bracken Fern Pteridium aquilinum Secure Secure
Alpine Lady Fern Athyrium alpestre Sensitive May be at Risk Sensitive
Northern Lady Fern Athyrium filix-femina Secure Secure Secure
Bulblet Bladder Fern Cystopteris bulbifera Sensitive Sensitive
Fragile Fern Cystopteris fragilis Secure Secure Secure
Laurentian Fragile Fern Cystopteris laurentiana May be at Risk May be at Risk
Mountain Bladder Fern Cystopteris montana May be at Risk May be at Risk May be at Risk
Mountain Woodfern Dryopteris campyloptera Secure Sensitive Secure
Spiny Woodfern Dryopteris carthusiana Secure Undetermined Secure
Dryopteridaceae Crested Woodfern Dryopteris cristata Secure Secure
Northern Woodfern Dryopteris expansa May be at Risk Secure Secure
Male Fern Dryopteris filix-mas Secure Secure
Fragrant Woodfern Dryopteris fragrans May be at Risk Sensitive Sensitive
Evergreen Woodfern Dryopteris intermedia Secure Secure
Marginal Woodfern Dryopteris marginalis May be at Risk May be at Risk
Common Oak Fern Gymnocarpium dryopteris Secure Secure Secure
Limestone Oak Fern Gymnocarpium robertianum Sensitive Sensitive
Ostrich Fern Matteucia struthiopteris Secure Secure