Kebnat

Polypod Ferns

Polypodiales · 60 species · 12 families

In Québec, the order Polypodiales brings together 60 species of plants, in 12 families. The stars? Bracken, Sensitive fern and Long beech fern, the most often observed. The richest region: Estrie, with 43 species. Every species has its own page: photos, its season, its habitat and the best places to see it near you.

Species observed by region

Where do the observations come from?

  • Mostly iNaturalist : photos taken by people all over Québec, with the species confirmed by the community.
  • Other public sources : such as eBird for birds and the provincial forest inventories, gathered by GBIF, the global biodiversity data network.
  • What we keep : confirmed observations, with an exact position (not blurred to protect a rare species), that their author allows to be reused.
  • One place counts once : several observations of the same species at the same spot (within 11 m) count as one.
  • So our numbers are lower : than iNaturalist’s total. A region without observations does not mean the species does not live there.

Data downloaded in September 2026.

  1. Estrie43
  2. Outaouais38
  3. Montérégie38
  4. Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine36
  5. Chaudière-Appalaches36
  6. Bas-Saint-Laurent35
  7. Capitale-Nationale35
  8. Nord-du-Québec35
  9. Côte-Nord34
  10. Laurentides33
  11. Montréal32
  12. Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean31
  13. Lanaudière29
  14. Centre-du-Québec29
  15. Mauricie26
  16. Abitibi-Témiscamingue25
  17. Laval23

Polypod Ferns 60

Polypodiales
All2,855Poales529Asterales316Lamiales214Rosales205Caryophyllales204Malpighiales120Asparagales119Brassicales109Ranunculales98Ericales95Fabales91Alismatales74Saxifragales68Polypodiales60Apiales51Dipsacales50Gentianales50Solanales43Fagales38Boraginales33Malvales29Myrtales29Sapindales27Pinales26Liliales22Ophioglossales20Lycopodiales18Geraniales17Cornales14Celastrales12Equisetales9Vitales7Commelinales6Cucurbitales6Nymphaeales5Oxalidales5Piperales5Osmundales4Aquifoliales3Santalales3Selaginellales3Acorales2Buxales2Ceratophyllales2Isoetales2Salviniales2Crossosomatales1Ginkgoales1Hymenophyllales1Laurales1Magnoliales1Marchantiales1Proteales1Schizaeales1
Family
All60Dryopteridaceae14Cystopteridaceae8Pteridaceae7Thelypteridaceae6Woodsiaceae6Aspleniaceae5Athyriaceae5Polypodiaceae3Dennstaedtiaceae2Onocleaceae2Blechnaceae1Diplaziopsidaceae1
Bracken8,946 observations
Sensitive fern7,208 observations
Long beech fern5,972 observations
Common ladyfern4,420 observations
New York fern2,112 observations
Intermediate woodfern2,081 observations
Subarctic lady fern2,041 observations
Ostrich fern1,751 observations
Christmas fern1,685 observations
Woodfern1,564 observations
Northern maidenhair1,425 observations
Rock polypody1,419 observations
Western oakfern894 observations
Crested woodfern891 observations
Spinulose woodfern737 observations
Rusty woodsia580 observations
hay-scented fern493 observations
Brittle bladder fern440 observations
Bulb bladderfern410 observations
Mountain woodfern375 observations
Silver false spleenwort321 observations
Fragrant woodfern320 observations
Marsh fern285 observations
Braun's hollyfern284 observations
Goldie's fern238 observations
Slender cliffbrake198 observations
Maidenhair spleenwort169 observations
Smooth cliff fern168 observations
Aleutian maidenhair147 observations
Glade fern129 observations
Spreading woodfern126 observations
Walking fern114 observations
Limestone oakfern109 observations
Green spleenwort104 observations
Hollyfern99 observations
Clinton's woodfern87 observations
Mountain bladder fern66 observations
Alpine woodsia61 observations
Male fern59 observations
Indian's dream49 observations
Virginia chain fern48 observations
Appalachian polypody44 observations
Broad beech fern37 observations
Brittle bladderfern35 observations
Green Mountain maidenhair33 observations
St. Lawrence bladderfern31 observations
Ebony spleenwort27 observations
Eaton's hollyfern21 observations