Crested Wood Fern Dryopteris cristata
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- dry-OP-ter-iss chris-TAH-tah
- Description
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Crested wood fern is a native evergreen to semi-evergreen perennial in the wood fern family (Polypodiaceae) native to Canada, the United States, Asia and Europe including NC in cooler climates. It can be found growing in moist to wet sites of woods and swampy areas.The Genus name is derived from two Greek words, drys, meaning 'tree.' and pteris, meaning 'fern.' The species name is from the Latin meaning 'crested' or 'comb-like,' which the fertile fronds resemble in profile.
The fern grows in clumps with narrow fronds reaching up to 3 feet long and prefers moist to wet fertile acidic soils in shade to partial sun. It will spread over time by creeping rhizomes. Propagation is by planting spores or division.
The dark green fertile fronds grow upright and die back in winter while the sterile fronds are arching and evergreen. The spores are round to kidney-shaped and brown on the undersides of the fertile fronds.
Use crested wood fern in the shade, rain, native or winter garden as a groundcover, along streams and ponds, in groups or borders.
VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
Crested cultivar
- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
Crested cultivar
- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
- ‘Lepidota Crestata’
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Dryopteris
- Species:
- cristata
- Family:
- Polypodiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The plant has been used medicinally.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Europe to Central Siberia, Canada to U.S.A
- Distribution:
- AL , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , ID , IL , IN , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , RI , TN , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV Canada: NB , NL , NS , ON , PE
- 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.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Fern
- Ground Cover
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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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)
- 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
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Fruit:
- Fruit Description:
- No fruits. This plant reproduces via spores. Spores are kidney-shaped and brown in uneven rows on the undersides of fertile fronds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Description:
- No flowers.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Leathery
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Fronds
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Rosulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The once compound fronds are up to 30 inches long and 5 inches wide, narrowly lanceolate to oblong and taper at the tips. The upper leaflets have 6 or more lobes with bristly-tipped teeth and are rotated and held parallel to the ground on fertile fronds while the lower leaflets are triangular and larger. These to features make it easy to identify. The larger upright fertile fronds die in winter while the arching sterile fern are evergreen.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Description:
- The green stem has scattered tan scales, especially near the base.
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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
