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Crested Wood Fern

Dryopteris cristata

Crested wood fern is a wetland fern of swamps and marsh edges, with distinctive ladder-like fertile fronds held stiffly upright. Tolerates standing water.

Family
Dryopteridaceae
Type
fern
Lifespan
perennial
Height
1–2.5 ft
Spacing
1–1.5 ft apart
Light
sun, part shade
Soil moisture
wet, moist
Soil pH
acidic
Landscape uses
rain garden, naturalizing
Native states
CT, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV