# common polypody (*Polypodium vulgare*)

Common polypody is a lovely fern that grows in shady places. Its bright green leaves look like little fans and can be found in forests and on rocks.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Forests

![common polypody](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Engels%C3%BC%C3%9F_HD.JPG&width=800)

Photo: 4028mdk09, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Engels%C3%BC%C3%9F_HD.JPG)

## Appearance

The common polypody has leathery, dark green fronds that are deeply lobed, giving them a ladder-like appearance. Its undersides are dotted with distinctive round, orange-brown spore cases called sori. It often grows in dense clumps, clinging to rocks or tree trunks with creeping rhizomes.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Polypodiopsida
- **Order:** Polypodiales
- **Family:** Polypodiaceae
- **Genus:** Polypodium

## Interesting facts

- Ancient people used parts of this fern to make herbal remedies for coughs and tummy aches!
- Its roots taste faintly sweet, earning it the nickname 'licorice fern' in some places!
- Polypody can grow high up in trees, sometimes even mistaken for mistletoe from below!
- This fern doesn't make seeds; instead, it reproduces with millions of tiny, dust-like spores!

## Special abilities

- **Drought Dodger:** common polypody can cling to rocks and tree bark, allowing it to grow where other plants often struggle for soil.
- **Wind Sprinter:** common polypody has tiny, dust-like spores that are carried by the wind, helping it spread far and wide.
- **Winter Green:** common polypody keeps its vibrant green fronds all year long, staying fresh even when other plants lose their leaves.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 10-50 cm
- **Spread:** 20-100 cm
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [black slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Slugs occasionally feed on its leathery fronds.
- **Depends on:** [European beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/european-beech) (*Fagus sylvatica*) — Often grows in the shade or on bark of large trees.
- **Symbiotic with:** cypress-leaved plaitmoss (*Hypnum cupressiforme*) — Shares moist microhabitats on rocks and tree bark.

## Traits

- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Don't eat any plants you find outside unless an adult says it's safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify common polypody?

Compare frond shape, how the leaflets are arranged, the stalk, and any spore clusters you can see. A single detached leaflet often hides the plant's overall growth pattern. Fern Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is common polypody?

10-50 cm

### How wide does common polypody spread?

20-100 cm

### Is common polypody edible?

Yes

### Is common polypody toxic?

None

### What is common polypody's lifecycle?

Perennial

### Where is common polypody usually found?

Forests

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Common Polypody: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-polypody)