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Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Christmas fern stays green all winter; the fronds were formerly used for Christmas decorations. It is common and easy to identify from the shape of the fronds.
• Family: Dryopteridaceae
• Habitat: rich woods and open woods
• Height: fronds 2-3 feet long
• Location of spores: spores on undersides of leaflets
• Stipe (leaf stalk): stout, shallowly-grooved, with dense light-brown scales. leaflets dark green, shiny
• Growth pattern: asymmetric clump
• Persistence: evergreen
Frond of Christmas fern. The smaller leaflets at the top are the fertile leaflets.
Underside of a frond tip. The brown sori (spore-bearing structures) are very close together; it can be difficult to see the individual dots. The ruler shows inches.
Fiddleheads for Christmas fern emerging in April. Note that last year's fronds are still green.