Description
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is an evergreen fern that grows naturally in moist, shady woodlands, stream banks, and rocky slopes. It grows in a clumping, erect habit with fronds arising from a central growth point. Christmas Fern often grows in twos or threes and is usually used in the garden as a border plant or groundcover. Attractive silver-green fiddleheads appear in the spring, and in the winter fertile fronds die off while the sterile fronds remain evergreen. The evergreen fronds are still green at Christmas, hence the common name. Songbirds often use parts of the plant for nest construction.
