| Description | Sensitive fern ( Onoclea sensibilis) gets its name from the tendency of the fronds to wither at the first slight frost and its paired bead-like spore cases—an easy-to-grow native fern. Thrives in moist woodland soils. |
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| Pronunciation | (oh-no-KLEE-ah) (sen-si-BIL-iss) |
| Plant Type | Ferns - Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 2-10 |
| Sunlight | Shade sites but can tolerate sun with adequate moisture. |
| Moisture | Prefers moist and tolerates very wet conditions, avoid dry. |
| Soil & Site | Found naturally occurring in marshes, ditches and swamps, wet meadows and stream banks. The soil is usually slightly acidic to neutral. Thrives in moist woodland soils |
| Temperature | The fronds will wither and die at the first frost. |
| Flowers | Ferns are non-flowering plants producing a seed-like structure called a spore. |
| Fruit | The Bead ferns have pairs of bead-like spore cases. |
| Leaves | The deciduous fronds are broad, leathery, and nearly triangular. They are deeply pinnate to bipinnatifid and have a thin texture. Most of the pinnae are nearly opposite each other. The rachis is smooth and pale tan or yellow. In the fall, the fronds turn yellow or russet. Fertile fronds, which emerge in late summer, are woody and have bead-like brown segments that persist into winter. These fronds arise from long, creeping, branching rhizomes. |
| Stems | long creeping, branching rhizomes |
| Roots | Genus name comes from the Greek words onos meaning a vessel and kleio meaning to close in reference to the closely rolled fertile fronds. Specific epithet means sensitive. In this case, the fronds are very sensitive to drought and the first fall frost |
| Dimensions | Reaches 1-3 feet and can rapidly spread by rhizomes. |
| Propagation | spores or division |
| Native Site | Native to both eastern North America and eastern Asia |
| Misc Facts | The genus name comes from the Greek words onos, meaning a vessel, and kleio, meaning to close, in reference to the closely rolled fertile fronds. Specific epithet means sensitive. In this case, the fronds are very sensitive to drought and the first fall frost. This is a monotypic genus. Gleason and Cronquist place this fern in the Onocleaceae family. |
| Notes & Reference | #69-Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, North Carolina State University and Connecticut Botanical Society (website), |
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