The American Fern Society was founded in 1893. Today, it has more than 1,000 members around the world, with various local chapters.
Willard N. Clute was the founder of the society, originally establishing it as the "Linnaean Fern Chapter."
The society has published the American Fern Journal, a technical botanical journal, since 1910. Before that, it published The Fern Bulletin (originally "The Linnaean Fern Bulletin") from 1892 to 1912. It has also published The Fiddlehead Forum, a member newsletter, since 1974. Since 1979, it has published occasional books specializing in ferns under the banner Pteridologia.
The fern society maintains a spore exchange, where members can order fern spore to grow from a variety of species. It also sponsors periodic field trips, as well as a user forum on the website.