Common Names: Christmas Fern
Scientific Name: Polystichum acrostichoides
 
Plant Characteristics
Duration: Perennial
Size: Typically grows to a height of 2-5 ft.
Foliage: The fronds are deeply lobed, resembling the shape of a shuttlecock, and have a unique cinnamon-colored central stalk.
 
Growing Conditions
Water Use: High
Light Requirement: Part Shade to Full Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist to Wet, well-drained
 
Ecological Benefits
Chistmas fern got its name because it stays green right through the holiday season. It is a robust, leathery fern which has glossy, green fronds year-round. The fronds grow in clusters from a crownless rootstock and range from 1-2 ft. in length. Fertile fronds are taller. The once-divided fronds with pointed pinnae result in a medium to coarse texture. The silvery fiddleheads emerge in early spring.
Christmas fern is very easy to establish and grow where conditions are right. It requires cool, moist, well-drained soil in shade. In the right spot, it can be a good, evergreen border or accent plant. Though often used as a groundcover, it is a clumping fern, not forming a continuous, undifferentiated carpet the way some ferns do.