Sensitive fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Also called Bead fern and Onoclea
Garden plant · Ferns & palmsNamed for how fast the first frost flattens it, not for anything it minds being touched. It RUNS on shallow rhizomes in wet ground — welcome at a pond edge, a nuisance in a border, and a spade round it each spring is the only control.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Every 3 daysWater the ground — water at the base, in the morning, not over the leaves.
- Light
- Part shade, in ground that stays wet
- Feed
- Not needed
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Very hardy RHS H7, to -25°C
- Size
- 0.6 m tall · 1 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Eastern North America and East Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Neither authority names Onoclea. That is an absence and not a clean bill.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- New fronds coming up a foot or two outside the clump each year, especially in wet ground. Shallow rhizomes — a spade round it every spring, or a pond margin where it can have its head.Running where it is not wanted · disorder
- Every frond down and brown after one cold night in October, while the ferns beside it are still standing. This is the plant's name and its habit, not damage.Flattened by the first frost · disorder