plant · GBIF taxon 2650903
Sensitive Fern
Onoclea sensibilisAlso known as Bead Fern
Sensitive ferns emerge in spring with pale copper-green, deeply divided sterile fronds that mature into a bright, leathery green. In late summer, separate fertile fronds appear as stiff, upright stalks bearing dark brown, bead-like structures that protect the spores through winter. The common name arises from the foliage's immediate collapse and blackening at the very first touch of autumn frost.
DeciduousWetlandSpore-bearing
1 / 7- diet
- Photosynthetic
- family
- Onocleaceae
- threats
- Wetland drainage, habitat destruction, invasive reed canary grass
- life Span
- Perennial (rhizomes can live for decades)
LC
Toxic to horses if consumed in large quantities; safe for humans to touch.
- Observe the beads: Look for the stiff, brown fertile stalks that persist through winter.
- Check the margins: Distinguish it from look-alikes by its smooth, wavy-edged sterile pinnae.
- Touch test: Note how the delicate sterile fronds wither rapidly after the first autumn frost.