(2) Massachusetts Fern
Aspidium Simulàtum. THELÝPTERIS SIMULÀTA
Dryópteris Simulata. Nephròdium Simulàtum
Fronds pinnate, one to three feet long, oblong-lanceolate, somewhat narrowed at the base. Pinnæ lanceolate, deeply pinnatifid, the lower most often turned inward. Veins simple. Indusium glandular. Sori rather large.
Resembles the marsh fern, of which it was once thought to be a variety. In some respects it is also like the New York fern, and is in fact intermediate between the two.
That it is a distinct species was first pointed out by Raynal Dodge in 1880, and it later was named simulàtum> by Geo. E. Davenport because of its similarity to a form of the lady fern. It may be identified by its thin texture and particularly by its simple veins. On account of its close resemblance to the marsh fern, Clute would call it “The lance-leaved Marsh Fern,” instead of the irrelevant name of Massachusetts Fern. Woodland swamps usually in deep shade, New England to Maryland and westward. Often found growing with the marsh fern.