Japanese holly fern is an evergreen, herbaceous perennial fern in the polypody family (Polypodiaceae). Its region of origin is Eastern Himalaya to Korea and Indo-China. The species epithet honors famed 19th-century Scottish plant hunter Robert Fortune, This fern grows in partial to deep shade and needs moist, humus-enriched soil. Too much sun can bleach the fronds. Good soil drainage is essential to prevent root rot. It has been weedy in some areas of the South, so be careful about letting it naturalize. It can grow 1 to 2 feet tall by 1 to 1.5 feet wide. The leaves of the Japanese holly fern feel leathery and can have several colors ranging from gold/yellow to gray or green. Japanese Holly fern can be grown in shade and woodland gardens or in any shady or part shady areas with proper soil and drainage conditions. It is resistant to deer and rabbits. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems but scale, root rot and fungal spots can occur. Watch for Florida Fern Caterpillar. VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Fronds resemble holly branches, satin, chartreuse, ovate-oblong pinnae with smooth margins; 12-26 pairs of pinnae; lance-shaped and rounded at the base; upright, leathery, gray-green are 2 1/2' long