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Fern Identifier

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No doubt you have contemplated lush and delicate ferns more than once. These emerald green plants with feathery leaves and spores are found all around the globe and, rumor has it, can not only delight the eye but also purify the air.

Recognizing what a fern is is a job half done, but the main difficulty lies in telling what kind of a fern it is. So as we do, you likely can’t help your curiosity, so this article will definitely come in handy.
Identification of Fern Species
The first thing to know about ferns is that more than 10 000 of the species are grouped into family types of ferns. This division is based on common characteristics that the fern varieties share.

Here are the main families of a fern plant:
1. Adder’s Tongue Ferns — plants with fleshy stems and roots and highly divided leaves.
2. Bracken Ferns — ferns that form colonies underground and have large fronds that grow horizontally at the top of the stem.
3. Chain Ferns — climbing ferns with young fronds tinged with red.
4. Club Moss Ferns — terrestrial herbs that resemble a wolf’s paw and have a common name of Wolf foot.
5. Flowering Ferns — ferns with large green sporangia that resemble flowers
6. Horsetail Ferns — the plants with hollow stems and thin leaves that look papery green.
7. Maidenhair Ferns — their fan-shaped leaves arranged on thin black stems remind of the hair of a fair maiden. Typically found in crevices, on rock surfaces, and tree trunks.
8. Marsh Ferns — grow on the ground or rocks and have creeping rhizomes.
9. Polypody Ferns — ferns with small fronds that usually grow on trees.
10. Spikemoss Ferns — perennial herbs that remind up-looking threads.
11. Spleenwort Ferns — ferns with elongated sori located on one side of the leaf vein.
12. Wood Ferns — wood ferns with round sori.
All in all, you can distinguish fern kinds if you have a keen eye and know more about their characteristics. With the second point, we have you covered.
Fern Characteristics
To be successful in identifying ferns, you should know more about the following elements:
- Fronds. A frond of a fern is, basically, a stalk with leaf-like growth. They can be undivided or once, twice, and thrice divided.
  - Undivided growth is a single leaf with no space in between and is common for Northern Adder’s Tongue, Walking Fern, and Hart’s Tongue Fern.
  - Once divided ferns will have leaflets divided in one direction, e.g. Christmas Fern, Sensitive Fern, Northern Holly Fern etc.
  - Twice divided ferns, such as Goldie’s Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Royal Fern, and others, will have leaflets (also called pinnae) that are further divided vertically.
  - And finally, thrice divided ferns that include Maidenhair Fern, Braken, and Lady Fern among many others, can be easily spotted thanks to their lacy leaves with more divisions.
- Sori. Ferns do not have flowers and reproduce by spores instead. Spores are too tiny for a human eye to see, but you can see their covers which are called sori. They are usually located on the underside of the frond. If a frond has sori, then it is fertile. If it has no sori, it is a sterile frond. Sori and frond types will be of great help when identifying a fern variety, particularly if you examine them closely. The spleenwort species have sori that are elongated and oval-shaped, for example.
Stems (stalks). Stems have two parts: the leafless part is called a stipe, and the leafy part is the rachis.Color and texture of the stalk, whether it is hairy or smooth, for instance, can also help you out. For example, Lady Fern has a wine-colored stalk, while Maindenhair Fern has a thin black stalk.
MyPlantIn Fern Identifier
While it is absolutely exciting to dig deeper into how to identify ferns, you might feel overwhelmed if you need to do it quickly. That’s why you can use MyPlantIn fern identifier at your convenience.

The main reasons for opting for the identifier are:
- It saves your time. Uploading a picture of the plant and getting the result takes up to 1 minute, and you will also get tips on how to take care of your fern plant.
- It can analyze thousand of fern varieties. MyPlantIn database includes even strikingly similar fern species, so it’s impossible to mistake one fern for another if photographed correctly.
On balance, both ways will enrich your knowledge about ferns, so the choice is up to you.
FAQ
How to tell if a fern is male or female?

A female fern is another name for Lady Fern. Both names are due to the way the sori are hidden on the undersides of their fronds. A Male Fern is another type of fern which you can identify by its deeply divided leaves that come out from the stem in opposite pairs.

How to identify a Boston fern?

A Boston fern, or a sword fern, has blue-green once divided fronds that tend to arch as they grow older. This type of fern is lush and can be a great asset for clear air in your home.

What is the most common fern?

Among houseplant varieties, Boston fern is the most popular one. As for the fern species found outdoors, it is bracken ferns.

What is a fern sp?

If the exact species of a fern is unknown, it is identified with the help of its family. Sp, in this case, is short for species. For example, Bird Nest’s fern is known as Asplenium sp.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed your journey into the intricate world of ferns. Test yourself by identifying your fern and checking it with our fern identifier.

Fern Identifier

Identification of Fern Species

Fern Characteristics

MyPlantIn Fern Identifier

FAQ

How to tell if a fern is male or female?

How to identify a Boston fern?

What is the most common fern?

What is a fern sp?