Recognition of Native Ferns in the Field
This is an ongoing project led by Wendy Johnston of the Sunshine Coast Branch, with contributions and advice from members of the Queensland chapter of the ANPSA* Fern Study Group.
The focus of the project is the development of a set of information sheets designed to aid the recognition of ferns in the field. Each sheet illustrates features of the fern you would expect to see with the naked eye or a lens. It is not a definitive key. Features visible in the field that may distinguish a fern from a similar fern are illustrated where possible.
*ANPSA: Australian Native Plant Society (Australia)
Species recognition in the field is guided by the attributes observed and refined according to the details given in the relevant information sheet(s) . The botanical names underlined in the table below are active links to the information sheets for the species listed.
Genus and Species |
Attributes | ||||||
| Epi | Lith | Terr | Tree Fern | Rockery | G/cover | Pend | |
| Adiantum atroviride | Y | ||||||
| Adiantum diaphanum | Y | ||||||
| Adiantum formosum | Y | Y | |||||
| Adiantum hispidulum | Y | ||||||
| Adiantum silvaticum | Y | ||||||
| Angiopteris evecta | Y | Y | |||||
| Arachniodes aristata | Y | ||||||
| Asplenium australasicum | Y | Y | |||||
| Blechnum cartilagineum | Y | ||||||
| Blechnum indicum | Y | Y | |||||
| Blechnum nudum | Y | ||||||
| Blechnum patersonii | Y | ||||||
| Calochlaena dubia | Y | ||||||
| Christella dentata | Y | ||||||
| Cyathea cooperi | Y | Y | |||||
| Davallia pyxidata | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Doodia aspera | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Doodia heterophylla | Y | Y | |||||
| Drynaria rigidula | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Hypolepis muelleri | Y | Y | |||||
| Lastreopsis decomposita | Y | Y | |||||
| Lastreopsis marginans | Y | Y | |||||
| Lastreopsis micrisora | Y | Y | |||||
| Lastreopsis munita | Y | Y | |||||
| Pellaea falcata | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Pellaea paradoxa | Y | Y | |||||
| Platycerium bifurcatum | Y | Y | |||||
| Platycerium superbum | Y | Y | |||||
| Pteridium esculentum | Y | Y | |||||
| Pyrrosia confluens | Y | Y | |||||
| Pyrrosia rupestris | Y | Y | |||||
| Sticherus flabellatus | Y | Y | |||||
| Todea barbara | Y | Y | |||||
*Attributes
Epiphytes (Epi.): Ferns that grow on tree trunks
Lithophytes (Lith.): Ferns that grow on rocks
Terrestrial (Terr.): Ferns that grow in soil
Tree Fern: Ferns with a trunk
Rockery Ferns: Ferns that grow amongst rocks
Ground Covering Ferns: Spreading or colonising ferns
Pendulous (Pend.): Ferns with weeping fronds
Native Plants Sunshine Coast 