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Silvery Spleenwort Homalosorus pycnocarpos

Other plants called Silvery Spleenwort:

Previously known as:

  • Asplenium angustifolium
  • Asplenium pycnocarpon
  • Athyrium pycnocarpon
  • Diplaziopsis pycnocarpa
  • Diplazium pycnocarpon
Phonetic Spelling
ho-ma-loh-SOR-us PIK-no-kar-pus
Description

Glade Fern is an elegant fern with attractive shiny leaves that is often found in rich, mesic deciduous forests, around seeps, along streams and at the base of sloped terrain.  It can be identified by its tall, narrow, bright green fronds.  It typically grows in clusters of 5 to 6 per rhizome.  The cluster of spore producing receptacles on the underside of the frond, called sori, are long, curved and arranged in a herringbone pattern.  A vein on the foliage goes to the edge of the leaf blade.

The arching fronds can grow up 2.5' long and have 20 to 40 pairs of pinnae which alternately arranged.  Sterile fronds appear first in the springtime.  Fertile fronds will appear as the summer comes on and progresses.  

It spreads by creeping rhizomes and prefers continuous moisture in well-drained soils and partial to full shade. The fronds will turn brown in low moisture conditions. Large clumping colonies can form over time.

Ferns do not bloom but reproduce from spores formed on fertile leaves.

Habitat: Very nutrient-rich, loamy or seepy forests, over calcareous sedimentary (such as limestone or dolostone) or mafic metamorphic or igneous rocks (such as greenstone or amphibolite)

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  No serious issues, however, tender fronds can be damaged by slugs and snails.  The foliage can turn brown if the soil is allowed to remain dry for extended periods of time.  

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:
Tags:
#evergreen#hardy#deciduous#shade garden#showy leaves#fern#rabbit resistant#pond margins#moist soil#NC native#deer resistant#native garden#non-flowering#groundcover#clumping#food source summer#evergreen ferns#food source herbage#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#wet soils tolerant#dry soils tolerant#Audubon#shade perennial#woodland
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#evergreen#hardy#deciduous#shade garden#showy leaves#fern#rabbit resistant#pond margins#moist soil#NC native#deer resistant#native garden#non-flowering#groundcover#clumping#food source summer#evergreen ferns#food source herbage#Coastal FAC#Piedmont Mountains FAC#wet soils tolerant#dry soils tolerant#Audubon#shade perennial#woodland
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Homalosorus
    Species:
    pycnocarpos
    Family:
    Aspleniaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    A great addition to a woodland garden
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    Eastern Canada to U.S.A
    Distribution:
    AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NH , NJ , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , VT , WI , WV Canada: ON
    Play Value:
    Shade
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    Heavy shade, Deer
    Dimensions:
    Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Fern
    Native Plant
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Arching
    Ascending
    Clumping
    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)
    Soil Texture:
    High Organic Matter
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    12 inches-3 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Summer
    Fruit Description:
    Displays from July to September
  • Flowers:
    Flower Description:
    No flowers.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Glossy
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Long-lasting
    Showy
    Leaf Type:
    Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
    Fronds
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Lanceolate
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Undulate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Width:
    > 6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    The fronds are compound leaves and grow 1.5 to 3.5 feet tall. Individual leaflets are longest (up to 4½" long) toward the middle of each leaf, becoming smaller toward the bottom and the top. The green, arching fronds grow in a circular cluster of 5 or 6 fronds. The leaflets of fertile leaves develop dark elongated sori (spore-bearing structures).
  • Stem:
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Naturalized Area
    Pond
    Slope/Bank
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Native Garden
    Shade Garden
    Water Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Mass Planting
    Small groups
    Specimen
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Deer
    Dry Soil
    Heavy Shade
    Rabbits