Sensitive Fern: A Sensible Solution
Onoclea sensiblis
known more commonly as Sensitive Fern or Bead Fern is the perfect plant
for a moist area in your garden. I have it planted near a
fountain, in an area that stays wet, and it thrives.
This native species is commonly found throughout the northeast as well
as
the central states. In its native enviroment you'll find it
in
damp meadows, along woodland edges, or besides streambeds.
Although it perfers some shade it will tolerate sun if given
enough moisture. I've actually grown it in a pretty dry bed
(although heavily mulched with compost) and it did just fine.
It
gets the name Sensitive Fern
because early Americans noticed it was very sensitive to frost.
In fact, if you're not sure whether you've had a frost, you
need
only to look at this fern. The fronds will not tolerate any
frost. But that is the only sensitive thing about this great
fern. It is very easy to grow.
As you can see from the picture above, this fern does not look like any
other fern. It gets a foot
and a half to two feet tall. The fronds are coarsely divided
and
bulky looking compared to most ferns. The fertile fronds of
this
fern bears bead like structures (of course giving it the other common
name). I leave them throughout the winter - they turn brown
and
provide wonderful winter interest.
This plant spreads with rhizomes and can colonize pretty easily given
the right conditions. Of course, it also spreads by spores like other
ferns. In
fact, if it is really happy it can be somewhat invasive. Sharing this
plant is easy - just dig out a chunk of it (a good friend shared hers
with me).
Reportedly, this plant is toxic to horses although deer will sometimes
munch on it. I wonder if its toxicity applies to insects
as well, since I've never noticed a single frond
chewed.
Fossils have been discovered that look very much like Sensitive Fern
dating back to the days of dinosaurs. It appears to have
changed
very little during these millions of years. It is the only
known member of its genus.
Botanical Print by Thomas
Meehan of Sensitive Fern
