Fragile Fern
Cystopteris fragilis
Fragile fern is among the first ferns up in spring, unrolling almost as the frost leaves the ground, and its name is literal — the stalks are brittle enough to snap between two fingers, and a frond handled roughly comes apart. It grows in the shaded crevices of cliffs, ledges, talus and old walls, on limestone more often than not, rooting in very little soil. The fronds are small and finely cut, a fresh pale green early on, and they tire visibly through the summer as the crevice dries. Spore cases sit under a small hood — cystopteris means bladder fern, after that structure. It is one of the most widely distributed ferns in the world, circumboreal and highly variable, and what passes under the name is really a complex of several closely related species. In cultivation it wants cool shade, sharp drainage and lime, and it is short-lived in an ordinary bed.
- Family
- Cystopteridaceae
- Type
- fern
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 0.83–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Landscape uses
- groundcover, container, naturalizing
- Native states
- AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, HI, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WY