Plantae > Tracheophyta > Polypodiopsida > Polypodiales > Onocleaceae > Onoclea > Onoclea sensibilis

Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Onoclea sensibilis, the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from the observation by early American settlers that it was very sensitive to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is sometimes treated as the only species in Onoclea, but some authors do not consider the genus monotypic.
View Wikipedia Record: Onoclea sensibilis

Infraspecies

Onoclea sensibilis var. interrupta
Onoclea sensibilis var. sensibilis

Attributes

Allergen Potential [1]  Medium
Edible [2]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Hazards [2]  Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable; Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase;
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Structure [2]  Fern
Usage [2]  A decoction of the plant has been used as a hair wash to help prevent baldness; This species has a freely-running rootstock and makes an effective ground cover plant; Although it is deciduous its decomposing ferns make an effective weed suppressing mulch; Plants should be spaced about 1 metre apart each way;
Height [2]  20 inches (0.5 m)
Width [2]  20 inches (0.5 m)
View Plants For A Future Record : Onoclea sensibilis

Protected Areas

Predators

Amphorophora ampullata[3]

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Derived from Allergy-Free Gardening OPALS™, Thomas Leo Ogren (2000)
♦ 2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 3Biological Records Centre Database of Insects and their Food Plants
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0