Onoclea sensibilis
Growing Information
• Plant Type: Perennial
• Sunlight: Part shade. Tolerates full sun in wet soils.
• Soils: Moist to wet, acidic soils
• Bloom Time: N/A
• Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Distinctive, coarsely lobed fern that spreads by rhizomes in wet areas. Great as an underplanting for shrubs or as a filler in wet meadows. It is named sensitive fern because it quickly withers after the first frost. Bright lime green foliage, often with reddish undertones on fiddleheads and stems.
Garden Companions
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea); Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum); Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata); Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
Nature Benefits
• Shelters salamanders and frogs
• Can spread aggressively, protecting soil from exotic invasive spreaders.
Natural Habitat
Moist woods, floodplains, streambanks, marshy ditches