Step 1
observe whether the fern remain green during the wintertime or dies back . The maidenhair fern ( Dryopteris marginalis ) andinterrupted ferns(Osmunda claytoniana ) are deciduous , meaning that they die back in the wintertime . The evergreen buckler or marginal Mrs. Henry Wood fern ( Dryopteris marginalis ) and the Christmas fern ( Polystichum acrostichoides ) stay green throughout the year .
Step 2
Step 3
Feel the leaves . Even if you do n’t experience if the fern last the wintertime , the evergreen plant ferns tend to have leathery foliage that prevents them from losing H2O during the winter months . If the foliage feels leathery , you in all likelihood have a marginal wood or Christmas fern .
Step 4
Observe the material body of the plant . According to the Native Plant Information internet , the maidenhair fern has the unequalled gadget characteristic , among native ferns , of its foliage spread out in a circular pattern around the center of the fern , giving it a lover - shaped appearance . The marginal wood and interrupted ferns ' fronds grow upward before bow outward , giving them a vase shape . The frond of the Christmas fern spring up in clumps .
Step 5
Step 6
analyze the foliage . While fern all have classifiable feathery leaflet , the leaflet of some metal money further subdivide , often multiple metre , into additional leaflets . The marginal wood fern is double - pinnate , meaning that the folder are subdivide once into extra leaflets . The maidenhair and Christmas fern have only single leaflets , while the interrupted fern has single brochure except for fertile fronds arising from the center of the industrial plant , which are doubly - pinnate .
Step 7
Estimate the sizing of the fern . While most Pennsylvania native fern persist relatively small , reaching no more than 3 foot in stature , the off-and-on fern can grow up to 6 feet tall .
Step 8
regain a fiddlehead , if you ’re observe the fern in the spring . Christmas ferns have silvery fiddleheads , while the Osmunda cinnamonea of the maidenhair and borderline wood ferns are dark cerise and golden brown , respectively .
Step 9
References
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