Sword fern

Biology

The sword fern is a perennial herbaceous plant with long green leaves, subdivided in leaflets that all together form an arched frond. At the beginning of its life, it needs moist soils and deep shade to develop, but later in life, it can survive periodic bouts of dry weather.

Conservation

Ferns are herbaceous plants that have existed on Earth for at least 145 million years. They occur in a large variety of habitats, from remote mountain elevations to dry desert rock faces and bodies of water.

Curiosities

Sometimes these ferns may appear totally dead due to frost, but they will re-emerge in the spring.