Sensitive Fern,Bead Fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Family Polypodiaceae

Characteristics:
* A coarse, weedy fern that often forms spreading colonies.
* Fronds broad, nearly triangular, tilting up and back, with a prominent, network-forming vein.
* Fiddlehead pale red.
* Height: 12-24".

Natural History:
* Habitat: Damp, wet areas, common in roadside ditches throughout the Northeast.
* Range: Throughout the United States.
* Native.

Connections!
* In cold climates, the fronds may be deciduous after frost. Sensitive fern dies quickly with the first frost, leaving the erect spikes with their beadlike reproductive structures.

* Sensitive ferns are good colonizers, often the first species to grow in a disturbed area.