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Resurrection Fern

Pleopeltis polypodioides

Photo by Liam
Published on Project Noah
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30.4556, -81.42

Field Notes

Description:

This fern is an epiphyte, or air plant, which means it attaches itself to other plants and gets its nutrients from the air and from water and nutrients that collect on the outer surface of bark. The resurrection fern lives on the branches of large trees such as cypresses and can often be seen carpeting the shady areas on limbs of large oak trees. However, it is known to grow on the surfaces of rocks and dead logs as well. It is often found in the company of other epiphytic plants such as Spanish moss.

Habitat:

Southern Live Oak Woodlands

Notes:

On a Southern Live Oak on Little Talbot Island, Florida.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (4)

Thank you, Jason.
Thanks! Great info!
Great! Very nice photo of a very cool fern. Florida seems like an amazing place to look at plants. Plants with this resurrection ability are known as poikilohydric. I find it a very enjoyable word to say for some reason! When I looked it up, I found this cool time-lapse of Pleopeltis polypodioides doing its thing: http://www.iecology.net/tl_fern.html
It can seem to disappear when it is very dry and rain will make it appear again like magic. Good picture!

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