Fern Fever
Noah Compton | November 2021
There is a small room in the home I grew up in, filled with houseplants. The windows face south and west, allowing sunsets through and onto the white tiles, changing them to shades of orange and pink. This happened almost every evening of my life, thanks to the beautiful North Carolina weather. My mom had plants that were from her childhood, cactuses that my parents got before I was born, and most interesting to me, terrariums. My mom would fill these glass casings with dirt, moss, rocks, and ferns. All of this stuff was easy to get and make at home, because our house was set right above a swamp. There are ferns in the swamp, up to my waist. It is hard to believe that they have been evolving for almost 400 million years. The terrariums my mom had, and the fern collecting the had to do in order to gain her companions, dates back to the Victorian Era. During this time, the collection of these ferns solely for aesthetics, nearly wiped out some vascular species.
In the 1800’s, much of life changed with the Industrial Revolution. People were now able to work in the city, and have more opportunity to make money from assets other than land ownership. While there was still a large lower class in Victorian England, there was a growing middle class. Modern employment practices were developed, with weekends, holiday, and leisure time being a coveted alternative to shift hours. People would get together with friends or family during these times, and socialize. People lived in apartments, townhomes and suburbs. Homes would have whole rooms for social activities, often with ornate decor. Unfortunately, due to all of the combustion during the Victorian Era- mainly coal, a thick layer of smog blocked the sun from cities, and ruined air quality. This is one of the milestones in the acceleration of the Anthropocene. People and animals suffered, as well as plants. Victorian homes which boasted architectural and interior designs of elegant plants, and other elements of the natural world- could not host a plant. This made people upset, just as I imagine it would today. How could we once again have our aesthetic and silent companions at home?
A middle class surgeon and amateur botanist, Dr. Nathaniel Ward was one of these people who was utterly disappointed in the inability to grow plants, particularly the ferns in his garden. While studying a glass vessel he was conducting another experiment in, he noticed a tiny fern growing quite happily. He wondered if he could create this same experiment on a slightly larger scale. This is when he crafted the “Wardian Case”, an intricately designed wooden frame encased in glass. Inside, a plant. You could control the entire climate of the Wardian Case, such as temperature, humidity, and light. We have modern versions of this, the terrarium. Wardian cases were an immediate hit in Victorian homes, coming in sizes ranging from a shoebox, to entire walk-in rooms among upper class families. Show and tell wasn’t the only use these cases had, as it was discovered to be extremely effective in transportation. These cases were a tool of globalization. A whole tea industry was established in India by the British shortly after the invention of the case, with twenty thousand tea plants being shipped in from China. Crops, as well as ornate plants could be bought, and sent anywhere if one had the means and money. With the emerging middle class, more people traveling meant more “goods” traveling.
I imagine what it must have been like to be in Dr. Ward’s home when he had his first ferns living in a gaudy wood and glass case. I wonder if he ever thought of solving the horrible pollution degrading the environment around him, or if he only had an interest in creating micro glass prisons to control the lives of a couple of ferns. I think about how the relatively simple experiment relates to the colonial matrix of power, to justify the control of nature, as well as a tool to control others through dehumanization. The truth is, that Dr. Ward’s “solution” was not a solution at all, rather a band-aid, and an assist to exploitation. Dr. Ward lacked a sense of perspective similar to many other Victorians living in an urban setting, that you cannot truly control nature. Rural communities understood that you could not control nature and that you had to work with it, the movement into the city severed this tie for many Victorians. This loss of perspective caused the invention and exploitation of “resources”, whether it is the coal in the ground to run our cities, or the aesthetics of nature to display at home.
Man’s control in the Victorian era extended into patriarchal ideals, with women rarely being allowed to be on their own because she needed a man to “protect” her. So when large groups of women went to collect plants in the forest for their Wardian cases, men typically had no issue. They were not going to be around other men, or “danger” collecting plants. This was a silly concept, however it created a huge hobby among women where they could finally escape their husbands and socialize together. In fact, the social gatherings became so popular, it is now known as “The Victorian Fern Craze”, or Pteridomania. The collection of these ferns, not only
emerged as a hobby, but a more serious study of plants. Much of the information we know today about vascular plants is due to these Victorian Women. Eventually, men declared botany as a “serious” study, and kicked them out of the practice, as well as stealing all of their knowledge.
The colonized territory of Ireland at the time was a hot spot for fern collectors, due to its close proximity and vast diversity of species. This is where the Killarney Fern, or Trichomanes Speciosum, calls home. There are two types of these ferns, one that produces sexually- the Gametophyte, and one that produces asexually with spores- the sporophyte. The Gametophyte is found throughout southwestern Europe, while the sporophyte is thought to be native to Ireland, with its only populations being found there. These two may share the name, but they are very different in almost every aspect, from genetics, environment, and especially their appearance and habitat range. Spores develop under the tiny frilled leaves, and are carried off to new locations through weathering events, and passing by animals. This asexual reproduction was developed before the seeds and pollen of flowering plants, and made them fit for Wardian cases. The level of maintenance for these creatures was relatively low due to their robustness.
I am not sure what I was expecting to see when I first saw the Killarney Fern. Even with all the ferns I had seen in the nearby swamp during my childhood, this looked different. It’s light green leaves are translucent and glimmering, the pictures do not seem to be able to capture its true appearance because of its conflicting contrast. Once so populous among riparian borders, and dark, humid climates, the people who knew the Killarney Fern so well, didn’t expect it’s disappearance even when the Fern collectors arrived. Within years however, the endemic species was little to none in once thriving areas such as the Killarney Valley. Some species of ferns that fell victim to the “pteridophiles” were able to recover, but the Killarney Fern Sporophytes have struggled. Today, these ferns are heavily protected, and found at few locations throughout Ireland. The rest of their kin fell to a fate of being locked away in a glass prison, all because we could not resist its beauty. We wanted to control nature in our homes, rather than protect it in theirs. I find it interesting that at this exact time in Ireland, man had completely lost control of nature with the blight causing the Irish potato famine. While rich Victorians were prancing around destroying the habitat and plucking a fern to an endling population, thousands of people were starving to death around them.
The ferns today are not the ferns that existed millions of years ago. They have evolved since then, after dramatic changes in the earth's climate. It is Impressive to witness these plants today, oftentimes not too far from us if we look hard enough. Every species of Fern today will be extinct eventually, and in Ireland, new vascular plant species are making their homes there, such as the Cloud-Forest Fern- native to Jamaica. The quickness in which humans depleted this species, all for aesthetics and to have control over nature in their living rooms, caused the Killarney Fern to become the hermit it is. The plucking of the Killarney Fern shares a story similar to trophy hunts of animals far from London, for an ornate and “exotic” display in a living room. Because of this, it is rare that any of us will ever get to see one of these ferns live in nature. It is amazing how a species so coveted, was deprived of the respect to continue to fulfill our aesthetic needs.
Sources
Mark Otto, Jacob Thornton. “Taxonomy.” Species Profile Browser · Species Profile, https://species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?taxonId=127336.
Doyle, G. J. “A New Station for the Killarney Fern (Trichomanes Speciosum Willd.) in Killarney Oakwoods (Blechno-Quercetum).” The Irish Naturalists’ Journal, vol. 22, no. 8, Irish Naturalists’ Journal Ltd., 1987, pp. 353–56, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539198.
Keogh, Luke. “The Wardian Case: How a Simple Box Moved the Plant Kingdom.” Arnoldia, vol. 74, no. 4, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 2017, pp. 2–13, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26349763.
Wells, Lindsay. “Close Encounters of the Wardian Kind: Terrariums and Pollution in the Victorian Parlor.” Victorian Studies, vol. 60, no. 2, 1 Jan. 2018, p. 158., https://doi.org/10.2979/victorianstudies.60.2.02.
F. A. S. “Pteridomania.” Taxon, vol. 19, no. 2, International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT), 1970, pp. 280–81, https://doi.org/10.2307/1217974.
IKIN, CAROLINE. Garden History, vol. 40, no. 2, The Garden History Society, 2012, pp. 306–07, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41719911.
Noah Compton | November 2021
There is a small room in the home I grew up in, filled with houseplants. The windows face south and west, allowing sunsets through and onto the white tiles, changing them to shades of orange and pink. This happened almost every evening of my life, thanks to the beautiful North Carolina weather. My mom had plants that were from her childhood, cactuses that my parents got before I was born, and most interesting to me, terrariums. My mom would fill these glass casings with dirt, moss, rocks, and ferns. All of this stuff was easy to get and make at home, because our house was set right above a swamp. There are ferns in the swamp, up to my waist. It is hard to believe that they have been evolving for almost 400 million years. The terrariums my mom had, and the fern collecting the had to do in order to gain her companions, dates back to the Victorian Era. During this time, the collection of these ferns solely for aesthetics, nearly wiped out some vascular species.
In the 1800’s, much of life changed with the Industrial Revolution. People were now able to work in the city, and have more opportunity to make money from assets other than land ownership. While there was still a large lower class in Victorian England, there was a growing middle class. Modern employment practices were developed, with weekends, holiday, and leisure time being a coveted alternative to shift hours. People would get together with friends or family during these times, and socialize. People lived in apartments, townhomes and suburbs. Homes would have whole rooms for social activities, often with ornate decor. Unfortunately, due to all of the combustion during the Victorian Era- mainly coal, a thick layer of smog blocked the sun from cities, and ruined air quality. This is one of the milestones in the acceleration of the Anthropocene. People and animals suffered, as well as plants. Victorian homes which boasted architectural and interior designs of elegant plants, and other elements of the natural world- could not host a plant. This made people upset, just as I imagine it would today. How could we once again have our aesthetic and silent companions at home?
A middle class surgeon and amateur botanist, Dr. Nathaniel Ward was one of these people who was utterly disappointed in the inability to grow plants, particularly the ferns in his garden. While studying a glass vessel he was conducting another experiment in, he noticed a tiny fern growing quite happily. He wondered if he could create this same experiment on a slightly larger scale. This is when he crafted the “Wardian Case”, an intricately designed wooden frame encased in glass. Inside, a plant. You could control the entire climate of the Wardian Case, such as temperature, humidity, and light. We have modern versions of this, the terrarium. Wardian cases were an immediate hit in Victorian homes, coming in sizes ranging from a shoebox, to entire walk-in rooms among upper class families. Show and tell wasn’t the only use these cases had, as it was discovered to be extremely effective in transportation. These cases were a tool of globalization. A whole tea industry was established in India by the British shortly after the invention of the case, with twenty thousand tea plants being shipped in from China. Crops, as well as ornate plants could be bought, and sent anywhere if one had the means and money. With the emerging middle class, more people traveling meant more “goods” traveling.
I imagine what it must have been like to be in Dr. Ward’s home when he had his first ferns living in a gaudy wood and glass case. I wonder if he ever thought of solving the horrible pollution degrading the environment around him, or if he only had an interest in creating micro glass prisons to control the lives of a couple of ferns. I think about how the relatively simple experiment relates to the colonial matrix of power, to justify the control of nature, as well as a tool to control others through dehumanization. The truth is, that Dr. Ward’s “solution” was not a solution at all, rather a band-aid, and an assist to exploitation. Dr. Ward lacked a sense of perspective similar to many other Victorians living in an urban setting, that you cannot truly control nature. Rural communities understood that you could not control nature and that you had to work with it, the movement into the city severed this tie for many Victorians. This loss of perspective caused the invention and exploitation of “resources”, whether it is the coal in the ground to run our cities, or the aesthetics of nature to display at home.
Man’s control in the Victorian era extended into patriarchal ideals, with women rarely being allowed to be on their own because she needed a man to “protect” her. So when large groups of women went to collect plants in the forest for their Wardian cases, men typically had no issue. They were not going to be around other men, or “danger” collecting plants. This was a silly concept, however it created a huge hobby among women where they could finally escape their husbands and socialize together. In fact, the social gatherings became so popular, it is now known as “The Victorian Fern Craze”, or Pteridomania. The collection of these ferns, not only
emerged as a hobby, but a more serious study of plants. Much of the information we know today about vascular plants is due to these Victorian Women. Eventually, men declared botany as a “serious” study, and kicked them out of the practice, as well as stealing all of their knowledge.
The colonized territory of Ireland at the time was a hot spot for fern collectors, due to its close proximity and vast diversity of species. This is where the Killarney Fern, or Trichomanes Speciosum, calls home. There are two types of these ferns, one that produces sexually- the Gametophyte, and one that produces asexually with spores- the sporophyte. The Gametophyte is found throughout southwestern Europe, while the sporophyte is thought to be native to Ireland, with its only populations being found there. These two may share the name, but they are very different in almost every aspect, from genetics, environment, and especially their appearance and habitat range. Spores develop under the tiny frilled leaves, and are carried off to new locations through weathering events, and passing by animals. This asexual reproduction was developed before the seeds and pollen of flowering plants, and made them fit for Wardian cases. The level of maintenance for these creatures was relatively low due to their robustness.
I am not sure what I was expecting to see when I first saw the Killarney Fern. Even with all the ferns I had seen in the nearby swamp during my childhood, this looked different. It’s light green leaves are translucent and glimmering, the pictures do not seem to be able to capture its true appearance because of its conflicting contrast. Once so populous among riparian borders, and dark, humid climates, the people who knew the Killarney Fern so well, didn’t expect it’s disappearance even when the Fern collectors arrived. Within years however, the endemic species was little to none in once thriving areas such as the Killarney Valley. Some species of ferns that fell victim to the “pteridophiles” were able to recover, but the Killarney Fern Sporophytes have struggled. Today, these ferns are heavily protected, and found at few locations throughout Ireland. The rest of their kin fell to a fate of being locked away in a glass prison, all because we could not resist its beauty. We wanted to control nature in our homes, rather than protect it in theirs. I find it interesting that at this exact time in Ireland, man had completely lost control of nature with the blight causing the Irish potato famine. While rich Victorians were prancing around destroying the habitat and plucking a fern to an endling population, thousands of people were starving to death around them.
The ferns today are not the ferns that existed millions of years ago. They have evolved since then, after dramatic changes in the earth's climate. It is Impressive to witness these plants today, oftentimes not too far from us if we look hard enough. Every species of Fern today will be extinct eventually, and in Ireland, new vascular plant species are making their homes there, such as the Cloud-Forest Fern- native to Jamaica. The quickness in which humans depleted this species, all for aesthetics and to have control over nature in their living rooms, caused the Killarney Fern to become the hermit it is. The plucking of the Killarney Fern shares a story similar to trophy hunts of animals far from London, for an ornate and “exotic” display in a living room. Because of this, it is rare that any of us will ever get to see one of these ferns live in nature. It is amazing how a species so coveted, was deprived of the respect to continue to fulfill our aesthetic needs.
Sources
Mark Otto, Jacob Thornton. “Taxonomy.” Species Profile Browser · Species Profile, https://species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?taxonId=127336.
Doyle, G. J. “A New Station for the Killarney Fern (Trichomanes Speciosum Willd.) in Killarney Oakwoods (Blechno-Quercetum).” The Irish Naturalists’ Journal, vol. 22, no. 8, Irish Naturalists’ Journal Ltd., 1987, pp. 353–56, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25539198.
Keogh, Luke. “The Wardian Case: How a Simple Box Moved the Plant Kingdom.” Arnoldia, vol. 74, no. 4, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 2017, pp. 2–13, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26349763.
Wells, Lindsay. “Close Encounters of the Wardian Kind: Terrariums and Pollution in the Victorian Parlor.” Victorian Studies, vol. 60, no. 2, 1 Jan. 2018, p. 158., https://doi.org/10.2979/victorianstudies.60.2.02.
F. A. S. “Pteridomania.” Taxon, vol. 19, no. 2, International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT), 1970, pp. 280–81, https://doi.org/10.2307/1217974.
IKIN, CAROLINE. Garden History, vol. 40, no. 2, The Garden History Society, 2012, pp. 306–07, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41719911.