Christmas Fern | Polystichum acrostichoides
How do you know it’s me?:
I am an evergreen herbaceous perennial.
I grow in clumps.
My new spring leaves emerge as a silvery fiddlehead. And in summer to fall, I’ll have black spores on the underside of my fronds.
My compound leaves consist of leaflets in a triangular flag or “stocking” shape, that get smaller in size towards the tip of the frond.
Each leaflet has tiny, spiny teeth. The small lobe at the wide end is a key identification tool.
I can have bristly hairs (“scales”) along the base of my fronds.
How big do I grow?: 1’ - 3’ height and spread.
Sun-seeker or shade-lover: Part shade to full shade.
Where I prefer to put my roots: Rich soils with dry to medium moisture.
Hardiness: Zone 3-9
Original home: I am native to eastern North America.
Colors: Evergreen
When I bloom: I do not produce flowers, and reproduce via spores.
Wildlife friends: Birds use parts of me for nest building.
Flora Fun Facts: I am found in nearly every county of North Carolina.
More Info: When out hiking in eastern deciduous woodlands, you’re likely to spot a clump of green among the end-of-season browns and yellows carpeting the forest floor. The common Christmas Fern persists a deep, glossy green through the winter months…providing cover and nesting materials for birds, and festive cheer.
A member of the Polypody Family (Polypodiaceae).
Slowly spreads through rhizomes. In its natural habitat, this fern is commonly found in rocky woodlands, along stream banks, and in swampy areas.
This fern has sterile fronds (which do not produce spores), and fertile fronds (that do produce spores, and sit taller and more erect).
A good plant selection for a woodland garden, shaded area, or erosion control planting.
Early settlers used the green winter leaves to create holiday decorations.
