Walking Fern
Quick Facts & Botanical Stats
Species Overview
Walking Fern earns its name by 'walking' across rock surfaces as its leaf tips root and form new plants.
Physical Appearance & Anatomy
Simple, narrow lance-shaped leaves with long tapering tips that bend down to touch the mossy rock.
Habitat & Growth Behavior
Exclusively grows on calcareous, moss-covered rocks in deep forest shade.
Ecological Role & Symbioses
Helps bind moss and organic soil layer onto steep rock outcroppings.
Reproduction, Lifecycle & Propagation
Reproduces vegetatively when leaf tips touch ground and root, as well as by spores.
Conservation Status & Environmental Threats
Vulnerable to quarrying and rock face disturbance.
Interesting Fun Facts
- It appears to 'walk' across boulders because child plants sprout wherever leaf tips touch moss.
- Unlike most ferns, its leaves are un-divided simple blades rather than lacy fronds.
Related Plants
Boston Fern
Least ConcernWhat is a Boston fern? The Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') is a popular species of fern belonging to the Lomariopsidaceae family. Native to humid, tropical woodlands and swamps, it is globally famous for its lush, arching, feathery fronds. Discovered in a shipment of ferns from Boston to Philadelphia in 1894, it became a classic Victorian houseplant. Like all ferns, it is a non-flowering vascular plant that reproduces via spores rather than seeds.
Ostrich Fern
Least ConcernWhat is an ostrich fern? The ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a large crown-forming deciduous fern belonging to the Onocleaceae family. Native to temperate regions of North America and Eurasia, it is named for its large, upright, feathery green fronds that resemble ostrich feathers. Are ostrich ferns edible? Yes, the tightly coiled young fronds, known as fiddleheads, are harvested in spring and eaten as a seasonal delicacy in North America and Japan.