Interrupted fern has a native range from northern Alabama & Georgia up through Maine into southeast Canada over into much of Minnesota down into Arkansas. Its fiddleheads that come up in early spring are silvery-white. It forms a spreading vase-shaped form of usually about 2 to 3 feet high, but can get to 5 feet if really thriving. Its infertile leaflets look much like those of the Cinnamon Fern. It gets its name of "Interrupted" by having 2 to 7 pairs of fertile leaflets in the middle of the fronds that develop into brown or tan shaggy masses of spores in spring, releasing spores. Then in mid-summer these fertile leaflets and spore masses fall of, leaving bare areas that look like the fronds have been interrupted. The root system is both fibrous and of thick, heavy rhizomes. It is sold at some large, diverse nurseries, native plant nurseries, and specialty mail order nurseries. It is not common in most landscapes. One landscape that has a good number is Frank Lloyd Wright's Talies in Wisconsin.

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