Sensitive Fern
Scientific name: Onoclea sensibilia
Everyone has this one in their backyard! These can grow three to four feet tall and equally wide. The common name is derived from the early sensitivity of this fern to frost.
Photo: R.W. Smith
Leaves
Its sterile fronds, which wither early, are light to brown-mottled green and deeply cut into long lobes which almost reach the stem.
Habitat
It can grow in very wet soils as long as there is adequate oxygen. It cannot tolerate sour clay or stagnant water. Also, does not tolerate freezing well, turning black even in light frost.
Life Cycle
Twice-pinnate fertile fronds appear in late summer and, though dead, remain upright through winter. Fiddleheads appear in the spring in shades of pale red.
Photo: James Garland Holmes
Photo: James Garland Holmes
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