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Crested Wood Fern Dryopteris cristata

Other Common Name(s):

Phonetic Spelling
dry-OP-ter-iss chris-TAH-tah
Description

Easy to grow; short, creeping rhizome; often found in marshes, bogs, and swamps but will grow in moist, rich soil; sun or shade.

VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.

More information on Dryopteris.

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Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#water garden#easy to grow#shade garden#fern#wetlands#NC native#deer resistant#swamps#heavy shade tolerant#boggy sites#woodland
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#water garden#easy to grow#shade garden#fern#wetlands#NC native#deer resistant#swamps#heavy shade tolerant#boggy sites#woodland
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Dryopteris
    Species:
    cristata
    Family:
    Polypodiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Europe to Central Siberia, Canada to U.S.A
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Heavy shade, This plant is seldom damaged by deer.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Fern
    Ground Cover
    Herbaceous Perennial
    Native Plant
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Creeping
    Erect
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    Low
    Texture:
    Medium
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
    Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Frequent Standing Water
    Occasionally Wet
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    3 feet-6 feet
    NC Region:
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Description:
    No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    No flowers.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Brown/Copper
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Fronds
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Other/more complex
    Leaf Margin:
    Crenate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Blade is upright, narrowly oblong; pinnate-pinnatified; pinnae are narrowly triangular and broadest near the rachis; basal pinnae are about 1 in. long; stiffly erect fertile fronds with pinnae turned at right angles to the frond; shorter sterile fronds are arching and evergreen; not crested; long stipe with numerous, dull brown scales
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Meadow
    Naturalized Area
    Near Septic
    Riparian
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Native Garden
    Rain Garden
    Shade Garden
    Winter Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Mass Planting
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Heavy Shade
    Wet Soil