This is a common fern species in eastern North America. Its native range is from Nova Scotia to Minnesota down to central Florida to east Texas and some into Mexico, growing in rich rocky woods and stream banks. It is not tolerant of heavy clay soil or of standing water or of much strong sun. Its fronds are singly compound and not doubly compound, similar to Boston Fern kind of fronds. The separate fertile fronds are longer and bear the orange-bronze or brown fuzzy growth of the sori (spore producing structures) at the tips of the fronds and under the leaves. This species really is a clumping fern that does not spread out from any rhizomes like crazy, but the clumps do get bigger with time. it is supposed to attract Ruffed Grouse and it acts as cover for birds in winter as it is evergreen, though the fronds fall down by late winter or early spring. It gets its name of Christmas in that it is green at Christmas time. It is commonly sold at many conventional and native plant nurseries.

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Sunlight Gardens: Quite common in the woods of eastern North America, Christmas Fern occurs where the soil is rich but well-drained. It looks like an upright deep green Boston Fern with fronds up to 24 inches long. The shiny leaves are evergreen and form neat clumps. This is a good one for shady foundation plantings. And once established, Christmas Fern is quite drought tolerant.

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A neighbor gave me a start of this nice looking fern a few years ago. I planted it in a dappled sun location under a tree off my patio that gets regular watering. In 2 years it took over that whole flowerbed and became a nuisance, as some plants do. I decided to pull it all up and keep a plant growing only in a pot. Well it's 2 years since then and I found a couple of small plants there again this summer, I think from rootstock that survived 2 winters hidden under leaf mulch.. They have been relocated with the others in a larger pot for safekeeping.

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