Resurrection Fern Pleopeltis michauxiana

The Resurrection fern is an NC native evergreen fern found in 83/100 of North Caroilina's counties. It is a true epiphyte in the family Polydodiaceae, which grows on the trunks of rough-barked trees or in the crevices of rocks in which organic matter has accumulated.  These ferns often co-exist with mosses. The reference to resurrection refers to the ability of this fern to transition from looking dead to a healthy green plant in minutes when it transitions from a dry to a moist environment. This fern can lose 95% of its water content and survive due to the presence of cellular proteins called dehydrins that concentrate along the cell walls and prevent the cells from collapsing.

The name of the genus is derived from Greek meaning "many feet," referring to the extensive branching of rhizomes that form a hidden mat under the fronds. The rhizomes are 1/16-inch-diameter and are densely covered with thin, light-colored scales.

Leaves in ferns are called fronds. The fronds of the Resurrection fern are leathery and arise from the branched mat of exposed rhizomes. Each frond is up to about 9 inches long and 2 inches wide, broadly lance-shaped and glabrous.  They are dark green above and light grayish green beneath. The fronds shrivel and curl in on themselves when desiccated. The undersurface of each frond is covered with scales that can absorb water and pass it on to living cells in the frond. These scales are numerous, variously sized, and concentrated along the midrib. The leaf pattern of each frond is deeply lobed (pinnatifid). There are up to 15 or more pairs of lobes on each frond, blunt tipped with a single terminal lobe at the apex.  Each lobe is about 1/8 inch wide and tapers gently toward the tip.  The midveins are visible on each lobe. 

The petioles (stipes) are about a third the length of each frond.  They are round in cross-section with a flattened top. Scales continue down the lower, rounded side of the stipe (petiole) and the upper flat surface is glabrous. The lower rounded surface of each stipe also has reddish-brown hairs.

The Resurrection fern produces both fertile and sterile fronds, which have the same shape (monomorphic). The fertile fronds produce up to 80+ ball-shaped sporangia from June to October.  The sporangia are aggregated into discrete, flattened and rounded to oval “fruit dots” (sori) on the undersides of lobes. The sori are arranged in rows on either side of the central veins, develop without a protective cover (indusium) and transition to brown as they mature. A characteristic of this fern is that there is a dent on the upper side of the lobes above each sorus. (see the image above)

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  

No serious problems. Watch for Florida Fern Caterpillar.