The silvery glade fern is an herbaceous perennial plant in the spleenwort family (Aspleniaceae). Its origin is eastern Canada and the eastern half of the U.S.A. Its native habitat is within and under the cover of forests. The specific epithet means “like Acrostichum ,” which is an unrelated fern genus. The fern requires constant moisture. It needs good loamy soil that retains moisture but also has good drainage. It is clumping but can spread via short creeping rhizomes. It will tolerate some sun with adequate moisture. The silvery glade fern clump grows 1 to 3 feet high and 1.5 feet to 3.5 feet wide. It grows in dappled to deep shade. The fronds can reach over 3 feet at maturity. Fronds turn straw-colored in fall. The oblong sori form along the veins on the undersides of the pinnae and mature in late summer. The sori form a herringbone pattern. This fern can be grown in naturalized areas, woodlands and in shade gardens. 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.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 3 ft. 4 in.
Elliptic-lanceolate fronds, pinnate-pinnatifid. Fronds taper at base. Segments are squarish or rounded. Lower surface of blade becomes silvery from whitish sori arranged in herringbone pattern. Fronds turn straw colored in fall.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower detail
No flowers.
Fruit detail
No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stipe and rachis remain green with abundant, narrow scales and some fine hairs.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
E. Canada to N. Central & E. U.S.A.
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Shade Garden
Garden tags
#deciduous #clumping #native fern #naturalized area #Coastal FAC #food source fall #food source herbage #Piedmont Mountains FAC #Audubon #deer resistant #fern #shade garden #heavy shade tolerant #hairy stems #hairy leaves #NC native #woodland