Description
Athyrium angustum
CT DR
Soil: Slightly acidic, Loose, Loamy, Well-drained
Moisture: Average to Moist
Light: Part to Full Shade
Plant Height: 2 to 3 feet
Plant Width: 2 to 3 feet
Pests: None.
Landscape Value: Great for woodland gardens, shaded border fronts, shady rock gardens, and shaded areas along streams and ponds. Great for stabilizing slopes or filling in shady corners.
native perennial upright fern that can reach 2-5 feet in height.
Upright, clump-forming, deciduous fern with delicate, finely divided, bright green fronds (leaves) that have a fine-textured lacy appearance. Single fronds can measure up to 1’ wide and 3’ in length, and are broadest just below the middle. Fronds emerge as green fiddleheads in the spring and unfurl into a vase shape. Frond stalks are green to purple or red in color, and have scales resembling hairy legs. Each frond bears 20-30 pairs of leaflets with moderately curved sori (reproductive structures) on the undersides. Spreads by rhizomes (underground stems) to form small, dense colonies. Should be sheltered from the wind to protect fronds from breaking. Tolerates rabbits, heavy shade, and drier soil than many other ferns. Will tolerate also full sun if soil is kept consistently moist.
5-pint pot
Photo credits:
Native Plant Trust (photos by Arthur Haines, Dan Jaffe, and Marilee Lovit)
