// SPECIES PROFILE · PERENNIAL · NATIVE

Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

Christmas fern stays glossy dark green through winter — its name comes from the boot-shaped pinnae that resemble Christmas stockings. Tough, clump-forming, and tolerant of dry shade and rocky slopes where most ferns fail.

// QUICK FACTS

Family: Dryopteridaceae
Group: perennial
Native range: E. North America incl. eastern OK ravines
USDA hardiness: Zones 3–9
Mature size: 1–2 ft
Sun: Part to full shade
Water: Medium · adaptable
Wildlife value: Year-round shelter for ground-nesting birds and overwintering insects
Ecological role: evergreen woodland fern · winter green

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) — *Polystichum acrostichoides*. Photo via Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons.

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Why it's on this list: evergreen woodland fern · winter green. Part of Rooted Revival's NE Oklahoma plant catalog — natives, ecologically positive non-invasive cultivars, and food crops worth growing in the Tulsa region.

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a shaded woodland understory, christmas fern pairs naturally with: american hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), american beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), crossvine (Bignonia capreolata), inland sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium), american alumroot (Heuchera americana), and black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Combine christmas fern with the warm-season grasses listed above for a self-sustaining matrix.

Photo Reference

// Polystichum acrostichoides — Christmas fern
Photo: eric_416_416 (iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC)