Psilotum nudum (L.) P. Beauv.

Whisk Fern

Herb

Perennial

Vascular

Whisk Fern is a native(?) herbaceous perennial in the Whisk-Fern family (Psilotaceae). It occurs in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. Wisk Fern has been found in widely scattered locations in Alabama. Its status in Alabama is unclear with some populations evidently introduced through the horticulture trade while others appear to be native. Whisk Fern occurs as an epiphyte on planted palms (introduced from further south), epipetric on brick walls, terrestrial in hardwood forests, and as a weed in greenhouses. It is a perennial from a short rhizome. Aerial shoots are erect, 1-6 inches in height, dichotomously branched, and green in color. “Leaves” are reduced to small triangular flaps of tissue along the stem known as enations. Enations are not true leaves as they lack vascular tissue. Whisk Fern reproduces by forming spores in 3-lobed yellow sporangia located in the axis between the enation and the stem. Wisk Ferns were once considered to be among the most or primitive vascular plants, similar to the earliest forms of land plants. Recent phylogenies place them as a sister group to the adder's-tongue fern family (Ophioglossales). Wisk Fern is often cultivated as a novelty, and many horticultural forms are available. It prefers a moist organic soil in partial sun.—A. Diamond.

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Native

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