Hi! My first visit to the Fern Forum, but I adore ferns and have them everywhere.
My land is heavily wooded and has a large pond. These ferns (and I'm assuming they are ferns) are all over, particularly where it is damp. I've seen them all of my life, but I never knew what they were. Does someone have a name? Are they considered desirable, or weedy?
Here is a close up of one frond. Sorry, it's a bit blurry.
Jax, I have one that I think is similar see if you think it's the same. I'd love to have and ID on it, too.
Here is another shot, same fern. It's growing at the base of my rock wall.
Maybe I'll post on the Plant ID.
Hi Jax
Looks like Onoclea sensibilis to me.
I send you a picture of mine to compare;
Close, but yours is prettier!!! More lobes to the fronds. They must be closely related. My fern looks like a little kid's drawing of a fern!
Jax 4ever,
The Onoclea genus has only one specie: sensibilis.
I send you this link with images of it and one can notice the variety in the same specie. It might be due to its growing conditions, or type of soil how it can slightly differ in appearance.
http://images.google.be/images?hl=nl&q=onoclea&btnG=Afbeeldingen+zoeken&gbv=2
I have seen that fern around here, too. I think it might be Netted Chain Fern (Woodwardia areolata), or like bonitin said, Sensitive Fern. They are very similar apparently. Here's a link that shows them both.
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/ferns/woodwardiaareo.html
Sandy
Yes, it is the "sensitive fern". My fronds are very young, and they match up with the immature frond photos. Someone on plant ID sent me a picture of a young Onoclea sensibilis that was a good match, too, so I think the mystery is solved!
Lucky me, I found some one who wants as many as possible in trade in the trading forum!!! So I'm getting my ID AND getting rid of the "volunteer" plants that are popping up all over the property! They may be sensitive, but they can run amok very easily. They seem to tolerate sun better than any other fern I've known.
Looks like mine is a sensitive fern, too. But I think I'll keep mine at least for a while. They are slowly spreading but I don't have a lot yet. I don't know where mine came from. Just started growing at the base of my stone wall several years ago. I have another volunteer fern. That is growing in the cracks of the wall, too. Thanks everyone. Holly
