Resurrection Fern

Happy Easter! As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, I thought it appropriate to highlight a very cool little plant: the resurrection fern. Resurrection ferns are air plants / epiphytes that are native to Florida and several other eastern states ^{[1, 2]} You'll often find them growing on live oaks (as in these photos) or cypress trees.^[1] They get their name because they can make a dramatic transformation, from looking dried up and dead one day to vibrantly alive the next, and all because of a little rain.

Resurrection ferns are special. They can lose a ton of their water content—up to 75%—and still survive.^[1] This is far more water than most plants can lose, and it's a skill that allows resurrection ferns to endure droughts.^{[1, 3]} When they get dry enough, their leathery leaves curl up and turn brown.^{[1, 4]} But when it rains, they unfold again into a lush, happy green.^[1]

See for yourself! The photos below are of resurrection ferns on the same tree, taken two weeks apart. The picture on the right was a few days after it had rained. 

On the left: Sad, shriveled resurrection ferns.
On the right: Resurrection ferns looking much livelier and greener after some rain..

It's important to note that resurrection ferns don't harm the tree; they just grow on them.^[1] The tree does help them though. When it rains, the crevasses in the bark fill with water, which the ferns soak up.^[4] The ferns also draw in water and nutrients from the air around them. In addition to trees, these ferns can also grow on rocks, logs, and fences. They prefer areas with dappled to heavy shade.^[4]

You'll often find resurrection ferns alongside other air plants.^[3] For example, the live oak tree below has resurrection ferns, Spanish moss, and another kind of air plant (on the branch curving up to the left) growing on it. 

Resurrection ferns are so cool that they've even been to space! In 1997, as part of STS-89, they launched out of Earth's atmosphere with Space Shuttle Discovery.^[5] They took the trip after being nominated for experiments by a middle school classroom. Resurrection ferns offered something especially useful for experiments in space: their ability to withstand dehydration, a risk a previous experiment had suffered from due to delays.

In the experiment, the ferns were placed inside a contraption that would have made MacGyver proud.  The container had a gauze pad with resurrection ferns attached on one side and puncture blades on the other.^[5] Behind the puncture blades was a water packet on a spring. When the time was right, the spring thrust the packet into the blades, and the gauze soaked the water up, so the ferns had something to drink.

Here's where things get even more interesting. The gauze pad also had a special ingredient on top of it: a crushed up Alka-Seltzer tablet.^[5] When the water hit it, it created CO2 for the plant. LED lights were also placed in front of the plant. All in all, a cozy little room for a fern up in space.

Resurrection ferns grow in clumps along trees, with stalks reaching up to 8 inches.^[6]

Resurrection ferns are really cool and beautiful plants. The next time you're around oak or cypress trees, especially in the shade, keep an eye out for them! If you spot brown resurrection ferns, go back after a rain to see them change. 

If you want to learn more about resurrection ferns now, check out this video by Stephen Brown, a University of Florida IFAS extension agent.^[7] It's a neat video that shows what resurrection ferns look like up close with varying amounts of rain.

Happy Easter! 😊

When they're green, resurrection ferns are very beautiful, especially
when they're growing on an already pretty tree, like this live oak.

The Details:

Common Name: Resurrection Fern

Scientific Name: Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana

Order: Polypodiales

Family: Polypodiaceae 

Seen: Growing on several live oak trees

Month: March

Range: This sub species of resurrection fern is found mostly in the southeastern states (east of Texas).^[2] The northern part of its range extends up through parts of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. It skips over Pennsylvania and can be found in New York.

Learn More About Resurrection Ferns:

1. Fort Matanzas National Monument. (2022, July 15). Resurrection fern. National Park Service.
2. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Pleopeltis polypodioides (L.) Andrews & Windham ssp. michauxiana (Weath.) Andrews & Windham. PLANTS Database.
3. University of Florida, IFAS. (2021, June 23). Resurrection fern. Florida 4-H Forest Ecology. 
4. NC Cooperative Extension. (n.d.). Pleopeltis polypodioides. North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.
5. Daelemons, G., & Mosier, F. L. (Eds.). (1999). 1999 shuttle small payloads symposium. Proceedings of a conference held at U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, 1-349.
6. Alden, R., Cech, R. B., Keen, R., Leventer, A., Nelson, G., & Zomlefer, W. B. (1998). National Audubon Society filed guide to Florida. Chanticleer Press.
7. FloridaLandscape. (2011, August 25). Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides).wmv [YouTube]. YouTube.