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        Spinulose wood fern (Dryopteris spinulosa) is the most abundant and common herb on  the watershed. In terms of biomass it makes up 85% of the herb biomass. Although there may be several varieties of this species, or even other species of Dryopteris, we do not make a distinction in our collections for mass and chemistry. The clump in the photo below is growing at the base of a sugar maple tree. Some hobblebush is also growing near the fern. Wood fern also forms a dense ground cover in some areas, especially at the high elevations at Hubbard Brook.
Average aboveground biomass     =       5.60  g/m2
Element
concentration in dry tissue
(ppm)
Calcium 3447
Magnesium 3969
Potassium 20653



Web page created April 2001
by Thomas Siccama and Ellen Denny