Shrubs of Treehaven

Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina

Foliage Type: leaf Arrangement: simple, alternate

Distinguishing features:

aromatic, deciduous, many-branched shrub growing 1 to 3 feet high
leaves - fern like and deeply cut into numerous lobes, dark green above, paler green and downy beneath
leaves - 1 1/2 to 4 inches long, very aromatic (licorice-like) when crushed
branchlets - slender, downy, resin-dotted when young

Habitats:

dry sites
dry mesic sites

Often confused with:

Sensitive fern

Ecological Value:

heavily browsed by deer

Did You Know?

Grows on dry sandy, and usually sterile soils
Sweet fern is not a fern

Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:

Used by the Mi'kmaq to treat poison ivy rash.
Leaves used to make potpourri.
Tea made from leaves used to treat dysentery.
Sweetfern is a nitrogen-fixating plant.

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Last updated on September 30, 2001.

Please send any suggestions or corrections to H. Knodle

Habitats:	dry sites dry mesic sites
Often confused with:	Sensitive fern
Ecological Value:	heavily browsed by deer
Did You Know?	Grows on dry sandy, and usually sterile soils Sweet fern is not a fern
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	Used by the Mi'kmaq to treat poison ivy rash. Leaves used to make potpourri. Tea made from leaves used to treat dysentery. Sweetfern is a nitrogen-fixating plant.