Sensitive Fern

Onoclea sensibilis

Found in marshes, swamps, bottomland forests, ditches, wet disturbed places. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

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

Profile 100%

Height: 1–2 feet
Spread: 2–3 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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Onoclea sensibilis — foliage photograph — Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: May to June

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Recorded in 57 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 5

Joseph Rusling Meeker, The Land of Evangeline (1874): moss-hung trees over a still bayou in Louisiana swamp forest. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Louisiana bayou country (Meeker, The Land of Evangeline, 1874), a neighboring state.The Land of Evangeline, Joseph Rusling Meeker, 1874. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 923 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 4096 x 2953; no crop or other change

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 70 animals.

Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Archilochus colubris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Warbler
Wilsonia pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Stork
Mycteria americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

Widespread birds also seen here (41)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Onoclea

Callopistria cordataSilver-Spotted Fern Moth
Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar
Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
Papaipema inquaesitaSensitive Border Moth, Sensitive Fern Borer
Herpetogramma theseusalis

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: Onocleaceae
Hardiness: Zones 2a–10b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Not applicable

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Not applicable” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Hardiness · “Zones 2a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Height · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)

Conservation status

Mississippi rank	S5
Global rank	G5
MS status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sensitive Fern

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Onoclea