Lush Ferns
by Rebecca Carr
Title
Lush Ferns
Artist
Rebecca Carr
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
Walking in a wooded area of Florida, I discovered these gorgeous ferns. Their strong vertical lines are complemented by the horizontal angularity of their alternating pinnae, which look like individual leaves. This photograph is in black and white to highlight the geometric lines of the plants. These particular fern plants are called ebony spleenwort or "brownstem" spleenwort due to the black to dark brown shiny central stem or stalk that arises in older fronds. The ferns were previously believed to aid in healing the spleen, resulting in the name "spleenwort." Their scientific name is Asplenium platyneuron. Interestingly, the short fronds are infertile and grow only up to six inches in height. The longer fronds produce the spores that spread the fern plants and can grow up to 24 inches. These fern plants arise in clumps of fronds, which can vary from dark to mid green in color. They have dark, wiry roots that arise from rhizomes that survive through cold temperatures to replace frozen fronds. Ebony spleenwort ferns grow in 39 of the 50 United States and in South Africa, chiefly in warmer climates, although they grow in the chilly climates of Maine, Minnesota and Colorado and as far north as Ontario. They are ideal ferns for hot climates because they are quite drought resistant and can tolerate some partial sun. They are very hardy plants and have few predators, succumbing only to slugs and crown rot from poorly drained soil. Fortunately, this leads to many tightly packed displays of fronds, like those seen in this photograph.
Uploaded
June 1st, 2019
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