North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Polystichum acrostichoides

Polystichum acrostichoides (Michx.) Schott

christmas fern

Image ID: 13034
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: POAC4
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polystichum acrostichoides
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-09-18

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: POLYS
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Polystichum
GENUS AUTHORITY: Roth
GENUS COMMON: Hollyfern
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 180 species, nearly cosmopolitan in distribution.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: D.H. Wagner in FNA (1993b); Zhang & Barrington in FoC (2013); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: DRYOPT
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Dryopteridaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Ching 1965
FAMILY COMMON: Wood-fern Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 40-45 genera and 1700 species, cosmopolitan in distribution, but concentrated in temperate and montane areas. Here circumscribed (following Smith et al. 2006) to exclude Onocleaceae and Woodsiaceae.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Smith in FNA (1993b); Smith et al. (2006); Lellinger (1985); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 1-2 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb, Fern

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Not Applicable

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
					x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
											x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Dry forests, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: eastern N. America & Mexico

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Christmas fern is easily grown in a variety of soils, and tolerates partial to full shade. This SE native fern is commonly seen growing in woodlands throughout North Carolina. Its leathery evergreen fronds bear stocking-shaped pinnae, which is one explanation for how it got its common name. Established plants grow into sizable clumps that add color and interest to the shade garden throughout the year. Christmas fern can be planted singly as an accent, or en masse as a ground cover.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 3
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
151	2010-0069	2010-12-08	152	View
167	2007-0409	2019-07-02	168	View
346	2011-0217	2011-11-01	350	View
975	1985-0669			View
1373	1986-1151			View
2001	1986-1794			View
2114	1986-1918			View
2447	1986-2288			View
2667	1987-0123			View
3322	1990-0188			View
3973	1992-0129			View
4976	1995-0094			View
5163	1995-0282			View
5606	1995-0730			View
6252	1995-1384			View
7569	2000-0332	2000-10-06		View
8620	2006-0202	2006-08-15		View
9396	2021-0020	2021-05-13		View
9462	2021-0121	2022-01-11	2565	View
9510	2021-0147	2022-08-23	0	View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
152	HORT		Parkins	View
168	HORT	2007-11-15	Wenck	View
350	HORT		Poythress	View
2565	HORT	2021-11-05	Liloia	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
306	151	34	Liloia	2010-12-09	View
333	167	94	Wenck	2007-11-15	View
334	167	81	Wenck	2007-12-04	View
347	167	198	MacIntyre	2007-10-22	View
348	167	198	MacIntyre	2007-10-22	View
349	167	198	MacIntyre	2007-10-22	View
350	167	198	MacIntyre	2007-10-22	View
839	346	15	NCBG staff	2011-10-17	View
840	346	12	NCBG staff	2011-10-17	View
841	346	25	NCBG staff	2011-10-17	View
842	346	74	NCBG staff	2011-10-17	View
1815	975	205	NCBG staff	1995-01-01	View
1816	975	205	NCBG staff	1995-01-01	View
1817	975	205	NCBG staff	1995-01-01	View
1818	975	65	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
1819	975	66	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
1820	975	69	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
1821	975	70	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
1822	975	71	NCBG staff	1996-01-01	View
1823	975	137	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1824	975	145	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1825	975	205	Liloia	1995-01-01	View
2389	1373	81	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
2390	1373	98	NCBG staff	1985-11-25	View
2391	1373	94	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
3224	2001	6	NCBG staff	1986-12-23	View
3544	2114	11	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3545	2114	72	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3546	2114	73	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3547	2114	74	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3548	2114	75	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3549	2114	76	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3550	2114	77	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3551	2114	78	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3552	2114	80	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3553	2114	187	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3554	2114	188	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3555	2114	189	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3556	2114	79	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4158	2447	27	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4474	2667	1	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
4475	2667	52	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
4476	2667	57	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
4477	2667	140	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
4478	2667	136	NCBG staff	2001-06-07	View
5519	3322	53	NCBG staff	2001-03-15	View
6301	3973	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7395	4976	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7594	5163	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7595	5163	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8120	5606	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8907	6252	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
10643	7569	138	Heiney	1967-12-01	View
11810	8620	205	NCBG staff	2005-04-01	View
12271	167	65	Liloia	2007-11-30	View
12457	7569	218	Briggs	2021-01-15	View
12649	9396	20	Liloia	2021-02-12	View
12663	0	19	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12707	0	24	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12905	9462	13	Liloia	2021-11-05	View
12917	0	198	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
13078	0	18	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13114	0	15	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
13124	9462	198	NCBG staff	2021-11-09	View
13131	0	17	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13172	9462	82	Briggs	2022-05-26	View
13173	9462	81	Briggs	2022-05-26	View
13174	9462	219	Briggs	2022-05-26	View
13191	9462	49	Wait	2021-11-23	View
13202	9510	38	Wait	2021-11-23	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: POAC4
USDA Common Name: Christmas Fern
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV), CAN (NB, NS, ON, PE, QC)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACU				FACU	FACU		UPL	FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Polystichum acrostichoides
COMMON NAME: Christmas Fern
SYNONYMY: [= Ar, C, F, FNA, G, Il, K2, Pa, RAB, S, Tn, Va, W, WH3, WV; > P. acrostichoides var. acrostichoides - K1; > P. acrostichoides var. lonchitoides Brook - K1]
PHENOLOGY: Jun-Sep.
HABITAT: Moist to dry forests and woodlands, especially slopes, ravines, and small stream bottomlands.
COMMENTS: NS west to MN, south to s. FL and e. TX; also in ne. Mexico (Nuevo Le�n and Tamaulipas). One of the most familiar ferns in e. North America. Var. lonchitoides Brooks, allegedly endemic to WV, is of dubious taxonomic value.
RANGE MAP: Polystichum acrostichoides.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Dryopteridaceae Ching 1965 (Wood-fern Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 40-45 genera and 1700 species, cosmopolitan in distribution, but concentrated in temperate and montane areas. Here circumscribed (following Smith et al. 2006) to exclude Onocleaceae and Woodsiaceae.
REFERENCE: Smith in FNA (1993b); Smith et al. (2006); Lellinger (1985); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Polystichum Roth (Hollyfern)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 180 species, nearly cosmopolitan in distribution.
REFERENCE: D.H. Wagner in FNA (1993b); Zhang & Barrington in FoC (2013); Kramer et al. in Kramer & Green (1990).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Polystichum acrostichoides in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Polystichum acrostichoides in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Polystichum acrostichoides in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Polystichum acrostichoides in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Polystichum acrostichoides in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Polystichum acrostichoides

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 13034 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 13034 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 7272 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 16426 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)