Plant Identifier

Fern Identifier

Identify ferns, use customizable lists, and learn how to care for each particular species.

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No doubt you have contemplated lush and delicate fern houseplants 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.

Understanding the concept of fern is a step in the right direction, but the real challenge lies in fern identification, telling what kind of species 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. This division is based on common characteristics that these plants 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 herbs 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 — plants with hollow stems and thin leaves that look papery green.
7. Maidenhair Ferns — herbs with fan-shaped leaves arranged on thin black stems that 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 plants with round sori.
All in all, you can identify fern kinds if you have a keen eye and know more about their characteristics. If you’re new to gardening, we'll have you covered so your houseplant fern identification goes effortlessly.
Fern Characteristics
To reach successful in fern identification, you should know more about the following elements:
- Fronds. A frond 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 herbs will have leaflets split 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 identify, but you can see their covers which are called sori. For its identification, check the underside of the frond. If a frond has sori, then it is fertile. If it has no sori, it is sterile. 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 in species identification. 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 into the identifier and getting the result takes up to 1 minute. You will also get tips on how to take care of your plant.
- It can analyze thousands of fern varieties. MyPlantIn fern identifier database includes even strikingly similar species, so it’s impossible to mistake one plant for another if photographed correctly.
On balance, both ways will enrich your knowledge about ferns, so the choice is up to you. Upload a plant photo into the fern identifier app and enjoy the results.
FAQ
How to Tell If a Fern Is Male or Female?

A Female Fern, also known as Lady Fern, derives its name from the way the sori are hidden on the undersides of the fronds. A Male one is another type of herb that you can identify by its deeply divided leaves that come out from the stem in opposite pairs.

How to Identify a Boston Fern?

Blue-green fronds is a clear identifier of Boston Fern, or a Sword Fern. Once divided, fronds tend to arch as they grow older. This type of plant 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. As for outdoor species, Bracken Fern is the most widespread.

What Is a Fern Sp?

If the exact species 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 pointing out your leafy plant 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?