Sword Fern

Nephrolepis exaltata

14

Modest

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 24%

Will it fit your yard?

No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…

At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 37 Florida counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 129 animals.

Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Screech-owl
Megascops asio
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
Birds. 1 shared habitat
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Gadwall
Anas strepera
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Gray Catbird
Dumetella carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
King Rail
Rallus elegans
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Bittern
Ixobrychus exilis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Least Flycatcher
Empidonax minimus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mangrove Cuckoo
Coccyzus minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mottled Duck
Anas fulvigula
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

1CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Nephrolepis

Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

0BeesSoutheastern regional records

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Nephrolepidaceae

What its natural habitat tells you

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Florida rank	SNR
Global rank	Not available
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources