Fiddleheads 2026

Silvery Spleenwort

The fiddlehead of the Silvery Spleenwort or Silvery Glade Fern (Deparia acrostichoides) is one of my favorites because it looks like a dragon or sea horse to me. It is distinctive not just because of the cool shapes it makes as it unfurls, but also because the fronds tend to look droopy as they develop and have wonderful silvery white hairs that extend all the way up the stem (stipe & rachis). The silvery hairs are distinctive all season. Their classification has changed a few times, as evidenced by their name. They were previously included in with the Spleenworts, Lady Ferns and Glade Ferns. They are now a separate genus and species within the Lady Fern Family (Athyriaceae). They do have similar sori patterns and may look similar to Lady Ferns when fully grown, but there are distinctions that make it easy to tell them apart.

You will get a chance to see many of these, and lots of Lady Ferns, on our Fern Walk tomorrow at Chard Pond. See calendar for details.

We are also offering a short introduction to Fern Identification from 12:30-1PM tomorrow before the start of the Fern Walk. Feel free to join us for a start of season reminder of the differences between our common native ferns.

Posted: to PV Fern News on Sat, May 9, 2026
Updated: Sat, May 9, 2026