When we visited the South Prong Slough on 6-16-2022, we saw the very beginnings of shoestring fern (Vittaria lineata), an epiphytic fern with an almost absolute allegiance to the trunk of cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto) in moist, mostly shady places.
Also commonly known as grass fern, beard fern, and Florida ribbon fern, shoestring fern, as it matures, becomes pendant. Its grass-like (filiform) fronds can range from 6 to +18″ long. As with all ferns, each frond begins as a fiddlehead that unfurls …
When conditions are moist, shoestring fern has an arched and springy habit …
In times of drought, shoestring fern droops …
The decaying boots (old leafstems) of the cabbage palms are thought to provide some nutrients to this amazing epiphyte. Dr. George Rogers, who recently retired as the Botany Department Chair at Palm Beach State College, has noted that in sunnier locations shoestring fern is associated with light-colored moss that he describes as a “white-toned, thick, pillowy, absorbent moss (Octoblepharum albidum)“.
In shadier locations, Dr. Rogers has found that the growth of shoestring fern is associated with a dark green moss, shown below at Captain Forster Preserve …
As cabbage palms mature, they shed their boots, and eventually the shoestring fern no longer has a “home”.
“Young” shoestring ferns do look very different than adult ferns.
Enjoy the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area 