Go Native—Grow Native, Ebony spleenwort

This large colony of Ebony spleenworts was observed at Machicomoco State Park in Gloucester. Photo by Anne Parker

Ebony spleenwort is a charming small, evergreen fern that grows in dense tufts with dark green narrow fronds with a distinctive, wiry dark reddish brown shiny main stem (stipe). It gets its common name, Ebony, from this very distinctive dark shiny stipe.

The narrow fronds range from 6-18 inches long, 1-2 inches wide and have 15-70 leaflets that typically alternate along either side of the central stalk, like the rungs of a ladder. They decrease in size towards the frond tip and also towards the base.

Individual leaflets are a matte, light green and have….

There's more to this story...
Are you a subscriber? 

Many more news articles, photos and ads are available only to those
who
subscribe to our printed newspaper or our online e-Edition.

 Log in

Pick up a copy or Subscribe today!

Follow us on Social Media

Visit our Advertisers

Your Local Weather

Kilmarnock
clear sky
56.2 ° F
57.7 °
53.7 °
95%
4.6mph
0%
Fri
73 °
Sat
62 °
Sun
64 °
Mon
68 °
Tue
56 °