Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Promoting environmentally sound gardening practices for over 35 years!

Mertensia virginica en masse.
Mertensia virginica en masse. Photo © Mary Free
You are here: Home / Plants / Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic / Ferns / Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive or Bead Fern)

Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive or Bead Fern)

Fertile fronds of Onoclea sensibilis
Fiddleheads of Onoclea sensibilis
Unfurling frond of of Onoclea sensibilis
The pinnatifid frond of Onoclea sensibilis
Onoclea sensibilis at Kennelworth Aquatic Garden in August.
Onoclea sensibilis and Jewelweed at Kennelworth Aquatic Garden in August.
Fertile fronds stand behind the sterile frond of Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

Note: Click on images to see enlarged photos, captions, and photo attributions.
On a mobile phone, click on the information symbol (circle with a letter ℹ︎ symbol).

This fern,* with distinctive, deeply lobed, chartreuse sterile fronds, is an excellent ground cover for low moist garden areas. Because of its sensitive nature, it grows best sheltered from prevailing winds in soil that does not dry out. Fertile fronds are bead-like, hence its other common name. Fern Fiddleheads, Persistent Fertile & Sterile Fronds Height: 1–4 feet Spread: 2–3 feet Bloom Color: Non-flowering Characteristics Deciduous, coarse-textured perennial with creeping habit Pale red fiddleheads open to sterile fronds– deeply cut, opposite leaflets with often wavy margins, winged rachis (midrib), long stipe (stalk) Shorter, erect fertile fronds with hardened, bead- like sporangia, persist through winter Colonizes by creeping rhizomes and spores, spreading aggressively in optimum conditions Attributes Tolerates rabbits, heavy shade, clay and wet soil, Black Walnut; deer rarely damage No serious pests or diseases Very sensitive to drought and first fall frost Provides ground-level shelter for salamanders and frogs Growing and Maintenance Tips Excellent Replacement for Soil Requirements: Rich, acidic, well-drained Cyrtomium fortunei - Japanese Holly Fern Light Requirements: Partial Shade, Shade Deparia petersenii - Japanese Lady Fern Water Requirements: Moist, Wet Dryopteris erythrosora - Autumn Fern Maintain consistent soil moisture and protect from wind Use in rain gardens, wet woodlands, or alongside streams or ponds Hardiness: USDA Zones 4–8 *Mostly common throughout the Mid-Atlantic. developed by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, serving Arlington and Alexandria Images by Elaine Mills, Glencarlyn Library Community Garden

Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic

Print Version (Legal Size): 
Onoclea sensibilis (Sensitive or Bead Fern)

This fern,* with distinctive, deeply lobed, chartreuse sterile fronds, is an excellent ground cover for low moist garden areas. Because of its sensitive nature, it grows best sheltered from prevailing winds in soil that does not dry out. Fertile fronds are bead-like, hence its other common name.

*Mostly common throughout the Mid-Atlantic.

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: 
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets

Back to Top