Sensitive Fern - Onoclea sensibilis
Not sure how "wild" this fern is, as the Huntsville Botanical Garden has an extensive and very nice fern garden. This was on their Wildflower Trail which had lots of ferns growing up in the woods and among the wildflowers
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 fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Onoclea.
This species looks distinct from other ferns in the region. 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 in) long, with a long, smooth stipe.
The fertile fronds are much smaller, not 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 fiddleheads are a pale red color.
Sensitive 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 Newfoundland 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 slightly acidic 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.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onoclea_sensibilis
www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/onocleasens.html
Sensitive Fern - Onoclea sensibilis
Not sure how "wild" this fern is, as the Huntsville Botanical Garden has an extensive and very nice fern garden. This was on their Wildflower Trail which had lots of ferns growing up in the woods and among the wildflowers
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 fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus Onoclea.
This species looks distinct from other ferns in the region. 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 in) long, with a long, smooth stipe.
The fertile fronds are much smaller, not 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 fiddleheads are a pale red color.
Sensitive 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 Newfoundland 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 slightly acidic 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.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onoclea_sensibilis
www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/onocleasens.html