Berry Bladder Fern Cystopteris bulbifera
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Filix bulbifera
- Phonetic Spelling
- sis-TOP-ter-is bulb-EE-fer-uh
- Description
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The native Bulblet Bladder Fern is a native deciduous plant in the wood fern family. Growing from a rhizome, it is found in Canada and across the middle and eastern parts of the U.S.A. in moist areas below 1500 m in elevation. Its natural habitat includes shaded ledges, stream banks, roadsides, cliffs and rocky slopes.
It grows in the form of rosettes with fronds that are ascending to widely spreading. The bulblets on the undersides of fertile fronds fall to the ground to form new plants in addition to have sori (a cluster of structures that produce and contain spores) that get dispersed by the wind. This is the only fern that will establish bulblets.
It grows 1-2 feet tall and wide and prefers partial shade to shade in moist, humusy rocky limestone soils in a humid protected environment. It can be found growing near mossy stone walls, cliffs and boulders. Use this plant in a woodland setting and provide consistent moisture.
VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.
Quick ID Hints:
- Bulblets on the underside of the leaves
- Its compound leaves are widest at or near the base.
- The tips of the leaves are long and slender
- Lateral veins of the subleaflets extend to the sinuses
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cystopteris
- Species:
- bulbifera
- Family:
- Aspleniaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Canada, U.S.A.
- Distribution:
- AL , AR , AZ , CT , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KY , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WI , WV
- Play Value:
- Easy to Grow
- Shade
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Heavy shade, Deer
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Fern
- Native Plant
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Ascending
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
- Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Description:
- No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
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Flowers:
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Description:
- No flowers. It will reproduce by spores from June through September.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Soft
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Fronds
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Other/more complex
- Leaf Shape:
- Palmatifid
- Pinnatifid
- Leaf Margin:
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The compound frond that can be up to 2' long is widest at the base while the tip is long and slender. There are 10-25 pairs of nearly sessile leaflets that have 5-15 pairs of subleaflets up to 6" long. Each leaflet is lanceolate to lanceolate-deltoid. The subleaflets have serrated margins. Sori appear on the fertile fronds on each subleaflet. A round green bulblet may form at the base of some leaflets on the undersides. They may fall to the ground and form a new plant.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Native Garden
- Rock Garden
- Shade Garden
- Attracts:
- Small Mammals
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Heavy Shade
