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….

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