Male Fern
Ferns & Moss
A big, hardy woodland fern whose fronds unfurl in a green shuttlecock each spring — one of Britain's commonest ferns.
💡 Fun Facts
- Its fronds grow in a neat circle, like a green shuttlecock, unfurling each spring from tightly coiled tips called fiddleheads.
- Like all ferns it makes no flowers or seeds — instead it releases millions of spores from rusty-brown dots on the back of its leaves.
- Its underground stem was once used as a medicine to get rid of tapeworms, but it is poisonous, so it is no longer used.
📅 Through the Year
- Leaf-out:April to May
- Leaf fall:November to December