Christmas Fern – Care and various types

Hi all, Starting from the basics about fern, its habitat & requirements, we have so far seen some of the prerequisites of having fern either as house plant or Garden tree. Christmas fern is often grown by gardeners to help prevent soil erosion.  It thrives well in rocky or shallow garden borders, and flourish in the shady part of any garden. They are a popular variety in Native American plant garden beds. They also grow well in parts of the garden with thin soils. Christmas fern belongs to the ‘Dryopteridaceae’ family. They are native to eastern part of North America. Their scientific name is believed to be Greek in origin. Poly indicates many and stichos means in a row; this is in reference to their spores (how the fern reproduces) growing in rows. Once established, Christmas fern  gets bigger each year.

Why is it called Christmas fern   ?

There are more than one school of thought on the above topic

• Many of the fern varieties are deciduous in nature and shed their fronds during winter. The Christmas fern are one of the very few varieties of native fern that remain green throughout the year. Hence they find very wide usage as Christmas decoration. Christmas falls on peak winter throughout the northern hemisphere.
• Also each of the leaf segments of this fern resembles traditional x’mas stocking or santa’s boot..

Christmas  Fern – Specifications  

Common Name           :  Christmas dagger, Christmas dagger fern, Christmas fern 

Botanical Name           : Genus – Polystichum ; Family – Polypodiaceae;

Species : acrostichoides

Life Cycle                   :  Perennial

Plant size                      : 1-3  feet tall . 1-3 feet wide

Sunlight Requirement  : Bright indirect Sunlight only. No direct light

Flowering Pattern         : Flowerless and seedless.

Plant Fronds                 : Evergreen

Leaf Color                   : Brown/ Copper green

Leaf Feel                     : Glossy

Leaf Type                    : Compound Fronds

Leaf Shape                  : Lanceolate

Habit/Form                    : Clumping

Light                             : Filtered , dappled sunlight.

Shade                            : Deep and partial shades preferred during different times of the  day.                  

Growth Rate                 : Medium

Maintenance               : Low

Drainage of soil           : Very good drainage of spoil required.

Space required            : 12” – 3’

Nativity                        : Eastern Canada to Mexico .

Wildlife Value             : Christmas fern provides winter cover over the ground. The plant is liked by White-tailed deer. The fronds of this fern attract songbirds and they use the scale like hairs to build their nests.

 Hardiness Zone            : USDA 3 -9

What are all the Interesting Features of Christmas Fern ?

S.No	Interesting Facts
01	They have the unique name as compared to fellow varieties because they stay green throughout the year. This makes them sought after for decorations during Christmas season when it is bone-chilling cold.
02	Like other ferns, Christmas ferns too have both Sporophyte and gametophyte generations. As in other ferns, gametophyte is half the size of thumb nail !
03	In addition to the above type of sexual reproduction, Christmas ferns can also vegetative reproduction through division of rhizome. The off springs thus produced are coiled and called fiddleheads.
04	They are abundantly found in river and stream banks, hill sides and lands overlying limestone rocky belt . This implies that they prefer more neutral pH soils.
05	Some insects use the leaves of Christmas ferns as food, even caterpillars of certain varieties of butterflies.
06	Last but not the least; Christmas fern is a perennial plant having life more than two years

Are Christmas  ferns hard to care for?

Christmas fern comes under  evergreen deciduous fern category

• Christmas ferns thrive well in filtered, dappled sunlight conditions. Do not expose them to direct sunlight which will make the fronds burn out.
• Morning sun and associated filtered light is best suited for Christmas ferns.
• Christmas fern in a hanging basket grow and flourish well .
• In case of Christmas fern as houseplant, continue to keep the soil in moist condition. At the same time do not allow water-logging which will result in root rotting.
• If the plant is kept in shady place with poor humidity, do enhance the same with misting on humidifier. This will improve the humidity of the environment and help the plant grow well.
• Christmas fern is abundantly found on forested hill sides near streams. It requires soil that is moist. Also the soil should have a neutral pH.
• That’s the reason, Christmas ferns are found in those soils that overlie limestone bedrock. Christmas fern is seldom found in soils that are too waterlogged or that are too rocky. 
• Christmas fern requires watering  weekly once or twice . Increase the frequency during extreme hot conditions. They require 1-2 inches of water a week.
• Remove the leaves that have dried up, though regular pruning in not essential.
• Fertilizer of mild intensity in granular nature may be applied once in two weeks. Fertilizer in the combination of 20-10-20 or 20-20-20 will do the job nicely. Do not apply excess. Avoid during winter

How to Choose the Best Pot for Christmas fern ?

Christmas ferns  flourish well in both plastic and terracotta pots of fairly large size . This will allow the fern to grow without confining as it  will grow as large as the pot allows. 

•    Another advantage is that these pots take longer time to dry . As a result the moisture is retained for a longer time which is beneficial to the plant.
•  These types of pots take longer to dry out, making it easier to maintain the plants.

Following is the basic ingredient for a proper pot preparation

• Soil – 1 Part
• Fibrous peat – 1 part
• Pumice – 1 Part
• Pebble/Gravel – 1 Part
• Tree leaves , wooden chips – 1 part

Make the pot with loose medium.

•     Indoor /House Ferns thrive well on humidified environment. The pot should be kept damp through a layer of clay with moistened marble stones /pebbles/gravels . At the same time take care that the roots do not get stagnated with water which is not good for them
•     Spring time is the ideal season for re-potting of ferns. During re-potting , cut off any damaged frond. Also this is the time for splitting and making more fern plants.

Ensure that the roots and spread throughout the pot and well established. If not, only the top layer of compost is to be replenished.

Special features of Christmas Fern..

Their leaves give a glossy, leathery and soft appearance with a pointed tip which makes them unique. The leaves grow up to three feet long. They are about four inches wide. The fronds are attached to a short stalk. The stalk is  brown at its base and green at top

Only few species of deers can withstand and graze on Christmas ferns as the plant leaves have certain chemical which acts as deterrent

These ferns grow well on hill slopes, they play a major role in erosion control. The decayed foliage under them help in stabilization of the soil.

As per ASPCA Christmas ferns are not toxic to dogs , cats or other pets unlike few of the varieties

Christmas ferns are, in general resistant to pests and bugs with a exception of mealy bugs which attack the sterile fronds before they develop the chemical.

Christmas ferns’ curly fiddleheads  are eaten by certain population like native American Indians- Cherokee

Are Christmas ferns Invasive ?

Christmas Ferns ( Bot. Name: Polystichum  Acrostichoides) are best grown in filtered , dappled conditions of light. As years go by they establish themselves and grow bigger in size , each year. Under favorable and right conditions of soil, water, moisture, fertilizer, shade and light , they flourish a lot. However, Christmas ferns are not invasive.

Christmas ferns find extensive use in decoration in many places around the world. To know further in depth about these ferns , feel free to wrote back to us . Your feedback is really appreciated.

For other major varieties of outdoor ferns click here