Brief history of Florida's Fern Industry

Historical records suggest that this industry started when Trusten Drake, Sr. in Yalaha, in Lake County, made the first shipments of Plumosus in 1896. John James, an English horticulturist working for Cornelia Polk Drake (Trunsten's mother), also got into the Plumosus fern business in Yalaha around this same time. The Pierson family started the fern industry in nearby Pierson in Volusia County. (Pierson is now recognized as the "Fern Capital of the World") In 1904, Peter Pierson received 10,000 plants from his brother A. N. Pierson, a florist in Connecticut at the time. The seeds originally came from Italy.

The first ferneries were tall wooden slat shade structures and the fern ran up strings attached to the roof. These long sprays were cut at the ground and rolled up in coils for shipment. Sprays of fern 12 to 15 feet long sold far as much as 10 cents. Later ferneries were lower slat houses and the fern grown as short runners and tips. Shipment was by rail. Wooden boxes lined with newspaper and a block of ice in the middle prevented wilting. Today Plumosus is mostly grown under natural shade. (Usually oak hammocks)

In the 1920s, growers discovered a new cut foliage crop. This true fern was hardier and more durable than Plumosus. John Springer started a fernery in Conway in Orange County. In the 1930s George Pantley of Yalaha sold the new fern along with Plumosus. In the late 1930s Martin Block and Walter Briggs cultivated these new plants and began growing them in Pierson. Later, "Fox" Mayfield and Roy Ruth came across similar types of a dark leafed variety of this fern. These cultivators became quite popular among wholesale florists because they lasted so long after harvesting. This new variety known as Leatherleaf fern or Leatherfern (Rumohra adiantiformis) became the most important cut foliage product in Florida. By mid 1960 Leatherleaf production had surpassed Plumosus. By 1970 income from Leatherleaf had doubled that of Plumosus. Leatherleaf is mostly grown in modern controlled environment Saran shade houses that have all but replaced the early wooden slat houses. Excellent fern is also grown under natural shade.

Asparagus Virgatus is a recent addition to the cut foliage industry. Looking like a small tree it is erroneously referred to as Tree Fern. Like Plumosus, botanically it is not a true fern but a member of the edible Asparagus family. Tree Fern (or Tiki fern) was introduced into the fern capital by mistake in the late 1970s. The first plants were noticed growing in an Asparagus Plumosus planting. Apparently, Plumosus seed ordered from Italy had been adulterated with the Asparagus Virgatus variety. An employee was asked to remove these rouge plants and discard them. Asking if he could take them home, the employee started a small planting of this unwanted foliage. What followed was something of a windfall for him as the foliage cut from these plants had tremendous appeal in the cut foliage trade.

Today Tree fern sales represents almost 20% of all cut foliage products produced in Florida.

The above mentioned ferns are the main cut foliage crops produced in the Fern Capital. By looking at the Grower listings you can see many other varieties of fern and foliage. Many varieties of fern and cultivated or wild native plants are grown and harvested in the Fern Capital.

 Information obtained from material compiled by Winona Coll, Raiford Hagstrom Jr., P.R. Pierson, Larry Loadholtz and Dr. Bob Stamps of the Apopka Research Center (UF) and in part from the book "Reflections"  (A history of West Volusia County compiled by M.E. Ross)