During recent field surveys to document rare plants at Dinner
Island Wildlife Management Area, FNAI botanists located two populations of hand fern
(Ophioglossum palmatum), a
distinctive epiphytic fern that grows almost exclusively in the humus that
accumulates in cabbage palm leaf bases, commonly called “boots.” Although these ferns are found in tropics
around the world, they are believed to have experienced a dramatic decline in
Florida over the last century due to artificial drainage, particularly in the
Everglades. According to the Atlas of
Florida Vascular Plants, hand fern has never been collected in Hendry
County, so FNAI scientists were excited to discover these populations.
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| Hand fern (Ophioglossum palmatum). Photo by James Surdick |
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