Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Monday - August 04, 2008
From: Thornton, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Ferns
Title: Identity of fern-like plant in woodland garden
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
what is the fern-like, hairy fleshy-stemmed, 12"-18" ht plant in my woodland gardenANSWER:
You can find native ferns that grow in Pennsylvania by doing a Combination Search in our Native Plant Database. First, choose 'Pennsylvania' from the Select State or Province option, then select 'Fern' from Habit (general appearance).
Additionally, here are four native possibilities that aren't ferns but that sound a bit like the plant you describe:
Equisetum arvense (field horsetail)
Lycopodium digitatum (fan clubmoss) with more photos
Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum (feathery false lily of the valley)
Streptopus lanceolatus var. roseus (twistedstalk)
Of course, it is always possible that it isn't a native plant and, thus, wouldn't be in our Native Plant Database. If it isn't one of these listed above or one of the native ferns, please send us photos and we will do our best to identify it. Please visit the Ask Mr. Smarty Plants page to read instructions (under "Plant Identification") for submitting photos.
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