American Climbing Fern

The American climbing fern, also called the Hartford fern, is the only species of climbing fern native to North America, a member of the family Lygodiaceae ranging from New England through the Appalachians and Piedmont into the American South. Compared to its relatives it has notably smooth spores, dichotomously branched leaf segments, and a pronounced difference between its fertile and sterile fronds. It requires steady moisture, strong light and strongly acidic soil, thriving abundantly where those conditions meet but remaining scattered and localized; NatureServe rates it Apparently Secure overall, though it is listed as endangered or threatened in several states because of its narrow habitat.