Southern Wetland Flora
Field Office Guide to Plant Species
Onoclea sensibilis L.
- Family: Fern (Polypodiaceae)
- Spores: June-November
- Field Marks: The large, deeply pinnatifid fronds and the spherical spore-bearing bodies borne on a separate stalk distinguish this species.
- Habitat: Wet woods, along streams and riverbanks, swamps, bogs.
- Habit: Perennial fern from underground rhizomes.
- Stems: No aerial stems present.
- Leaves: Large, deeply pinnatifid, the stalk winged, each segment of the leaf lanceolate to oblong, with or without teeth or with a few undulations, up to 4 1/2 feet long.
- Flowering: Borne in globose bodies at the tip of a stalk separate from the leaves.
- Notes:The common name is derived from the early sensitivity of this fern to frost.
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