Students for Stewardship The Cork Board
← Back to the library

Korean Rock Fern

Polystichum luctuosum (pol-IS-tick-um luc-two-OH-som)

Family: Dryopteridaceae Non-native Herbaceous (1-3 ft)

Korean Rock Fern or Tsu-sima Holly Fern, is a herbaceous evergreen. It is a creeping, crown forming rhizome. It prefers wet or evenly moist soil. Plant in humus-rich soil in partial to full shade. It prefers cool temperatures. Poor drainage may lead to crown rot, especially in the winter. VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum . More information on Polystichum .

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 47 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Fern; Herbaceous Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
Light
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Sand
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches; 12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 1 ft. 3 in. | Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Creeping; Mounding
Texture
Fine
Foliage
Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately); Fronds
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Oblong; Ovate; Rhomboidal
Leaf margin
Crenulate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Glossy, dark green fronds. The blade is lance-shaped and bipinnate with black veins. Basal pinnules of pinna are conspicuously separated and larger. Pinnules sharply cut, terminating in bristles. Petiole has persistent, long, dark scales.
Flower detail
No flowers.
Fruit detail
No fruits. This plants reproduces via spores.
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Zimbabwe to S. Africa, , Himalaya to Japan and Vietnam
Wildlife value
Attracts butterflies
Attracts
Butterflies
Play value
Attracts Pollinators; Defines Paths; Textural
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Riparian; Small Space; Woodland
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Fairy Garden; Pollinator Garden; Shade Garden; Winter Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#rabbit resistant #moist soil #terrarium #semi-evergreen #evergreen #herbaceous #glossy leaves #border planting #winter interest #fern #butterfly friendly #deer resistant #container plant #wet soils tolerant #woodland #fairy garden
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Deer; Heavy Shade; Rabbits; Urban Conditions; Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
Heavy shade, This plant is seldom damaged by deer.
Propagation
Division

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.