Sensitive fern
Encyclopedia
Onoclea sensibilis, the Sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized perennial fern
. The name comes from the observation by early American settlers that it was very sensitive to frost, the frond
s dying quickly when first touched by it. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Onoclea.
s. The bright, yellow-green sterile fronds are deeply pinnatifid and are typically borne at intervals along a creeping rhizome
. They grow to about 90 centimetres (35.4 in) long, with a long, smooth stipe
.
The fertile fronds are much smaller, non-green, and have very narrow pinnae. The sori
are clustered like beads or grapes on the upright fertile fronds, hence the common name Bead fern. The fiddlehead
s are a pale red color.
south to Florida
and west to Texas
, the Rocky Mountains
, North Dakota
and Manitoba
It is also native to East Asia
, and has become naturalized in western Europe
.
It grows best in a shaded or partially shaded area in a moist soil. The plant can tolerate dryer conditions in shade, and will tolerate wet soils and so occurs in soggy ground or at the very edge of water in shade or sun. Sensitive ferns spread to form colonies and are often the first species to inhabit disturbed areas. They can become weedy if not sited properly.
Onoclea sensibilis is also a facultative wetland
indicator, toxic, and a host to the pathogen which causes bacterial wilt in rice.
, in traditional and native plant
gardens, and in natural landscaping
and habitat
restoration projects.
In shade it can tolerate dryer conditions, but if grown in full sun it practically needs to be in soggy ground or at the very edge of water. Winter survival will be enhanced if the dried fronds are left on the plant through the winter.
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
. The name comes from the observation by early American settlers that it was very sensitive to frost, the frond
Frond
The term frond refers to a large, divided leaf. In both common usage and botanical nomenclature, the leaves of ferns are referred to as fronds and some botanists restrict the term to this group...
s dying quickly when first touched by it. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Onoclea.
Description
The sterile and fertile fronds of Onoclea sensibilis are quite different from other fernFern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s. The bright, yellow-green sterile fronds are deeply pinnatifid and are typically borne at intervals along a creeping rhizome
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
. They grow to about 90 centimetres (35.4 in) long, with a long, smooth stipe
Stipe (botany)
In botany, a stipe is a stalk that supports some other structure. The precise meaning is different depending on which taxonomic group is being described....
.
The fertile fronds are much smaller, non-green, and have very narrow pinnae. The sori
Sorus
A sorus is a cluster of sporangia .In fungi and lichens, the sorus is surrounded by an external layer. In some red algae it may take the form of a depression into the thallus....
are clustered like beads or grapes on the upright fertile fronds, hence the common name Bead fern. The fiddlehead
Fiddlehead
Fiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond...
s are a pale red color.
Habitat
The Onoclea sensibilis fern dwells in a variety of wet swamp and wood habitats: wet meadows, thickets and bogs, as well as stream and riverbanks and roadside ditches. It ranges from NewfoundlandNewfoundland
Newfoundland usually refers to either:* Newfoundland, the former name of Newfoundland and Labrador, a Canadian province in the eastern part of Canada* Newfoundland , an island that forms part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador...
south to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and west to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
It is also native to East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, and has become naturalized in western Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
It grows best in a shaded or partially shaded area in a moist soil. The plant can tolerate dryer conditions in shade, and will tolerate wet soils and so occurs in soggy ground or at the very edge of water in shade or sun. Sensitive ferns spread to form colonies and are often the first species to inhabit disturbed areas. They can become weedy if not sited properly.
Onoclea sensibilis is also a facultative wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
indicator, toxic, and a host to the pathogen which causes bacterial wilt in rice.
Cultivation
Onoclea sensibilis is cultivated as an ornamental plantOrnamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
, in traditional and native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
gardens, and in natural landscaping
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
and habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
restoration projects.
In shade it can tolerate dryer conditions, but if grown in full sun it practically needs to be in soggy ground or at the very edge of water. Winter survival will be enhanced if the dried fronds are left on the plant through the winter.