Interestingly, sensitive fern has two types of fronds, sterile and fertile. The paragraphs above refer to the sterile fronds. The fertile fronds are thinner and barely half as long.

Sterile fronds resemble what is often considered the typical frond design while the fertile fronds generally grow almost vertically from the center of the fern and may turn brown or black as the ...

The fertile fronds emerge from the mound with thin, etheral fronds that offer a pleasing contrast to the thick foliage of the mound. At the close of winter, cut back old fronds before new growth ...

In the Christmas fern, sterile fronds typically encircle taller fertile ones, which are also held more erect. Spores tend to be created between June and October when the conditions are right.

These fertile fronds will have their pinnae wrapped individually into hard, bead-like structures, and the spores will be produced inside. These fertile fronds with the bead-like structures are ...

The fertile frond carries spores in splotches on the underside of the fronds and is a key in some species identification. Platycerium grande is distinguished from a similar cousin, Platycerium ...

In fact, the fertile fronds, which are usually a bit shorter than the regular sterile ones, end up with a look all their own: fuzzy, due to thousands of curly hairs, and cinnamon brown at maturity.

The spores come in little cases called sori. In some species they are found on the underside of the leaf or frond, while in other species they grow on a separate fertile frond.

Hawaiian gardens have long been famous for their vast array of orchids and other showy flowering plants. Ferns on the other hand don’t get top billing in most landscapes even though they were ...

The fertile fronds emerge from the mound with thin, etheral fronds that offer a pleasing contrast to the thick foliage of the mound. At the close of winter, cut back old fronds before new growth ...