The red fern plant, made popular by the American literary classic “Where the Red Fern Grows,” is a mythical plant that does not actually exist. The author, Wilson Rawls, explains that the title of the book is taken from a Native American legend. According to the legend, long ago a boy and girl froze to death in a blizzard. Months later, their bodies were discovered. In between their bodies grew a red fern. The legend states the significance of the red fern, which is - red ferns never die, they can only be planted by an angel and their presence makes a spot holy. The story of the book is pretty much unrelated, but what’s pertinent to this article is that at the end of the book, the main character goes to the spot where his dogs are buried and discovers a red fern growing between their graves. The fern’s presence gives him the strength to move on and begin to heal. Since the publishing of the book, many people have sought out red ferns to plant at graves, or as to give as gifts to those who have lost a beloved pet. There are ferns that have red stems, veins or ferns that are generally reddish in color that may be used to represent a red fern plant.
Red Fronds - The Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) has fronds that appear red in color when young. In addition, it turns red seasonally. The best color is displayed in the spring and fall. The mahogany fern (Didymochlaena truncatula) also produces reddish mahogany colored new growth that turns green with age.
Red Stems and Veins - Ferns belonging to the genus Athyrium display pleasing colors and offer delicate foliage. Some of the more popular and readily-available species include the Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum), eared lady fern (Athyrium otophorum) and the red-stemmed lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina). Each have dramatic maroon-red stems and veins.
References:
Where the Red Fern Grows; Wilson Rawls; 1961
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