Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas Fern
- Mounding perennial fern with lustrous evergreen arching fronds.
- Foliage is once compound with each impressive frond consisting of many pairs of serrate pinnae.
- In early spring slender silvery fiddleheads emerge from the loose tufts of old foliage.
- Old leaves collapse into the leaf litter as new fronds unfurl from the fiddleheads.
- Thrives in moist sites and adapts to loamy soils in shade or part shade.
- Category: Ferns, Natives, MD Native Plants
- Hardiness Zone: 3-9
- Height: 1-2 ft
- Spread: 1-2 feet
- Spacing: 2-3 ft
- Bloom Color: Non-Flowering
- Foliage Color: Green
Attributes
| • | Drought Tolerant |
| • | Evergreen |
| • | Fast Growing |
| • | Low Maintenance |
| • | Maryland Native Plant |
| • | Mass Planting |
| • | Native |
Foliage Color
| • | Green |
Exposure
| • | Shade/ Part Shade |
Critter Resistance
| • | Deer Resistant |
Growing & Maintenance Tips for Polystichum acrostichoides
The evergreen foliage of this fern provide Winter Interest and allow it to serve as a lovely and useful Accent for a Shade Garden. In appropriate sites, Polystichum acrostichoides matures into a verdant and soothing Groundcover, Border or Mass. This fern provides Erosion Control and serves as a valuable component of Deer Resistant Plantings, Low Maintenance Plantings, Perennial Borders, Rock Gardens, Water-Wise Landscapes and Wildlife Gardens.