Hairy Lip Fern
Cheilanthes lanosa
A small, drought-tolerant fern of dry rock outcrops and ledges, its fronds covered in rusty hairs that slow water loss. It curls tight in drought and revives after rain, thriving in wall and rock-garden crevices where ordinary ferns fail. Needs sharp drainage far more than it needs shade.
- Family
- Pteridaceae
- Type
- fern
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.5–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1.25–1.5 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- acidic
- Wildlife value
- mammals, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- border
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV