Gymnocarpium dryopteris

The oak fern, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, is a native garden-worthy fern with beautiful dainty fronds in shades of vibrant green.

The oak fern, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, often gets forgotten when thinking of native garden-worthy ferns, but it is a beautiful species forming open to closed, slowly spreading mats of small, dainty fronds in shades of vibrant green. Use it as a ground cover on its own or in combination with other ground covers. Its range is circumboreal right around the northern hemisphere and it is super hardy to zone 2.

Common Name:  Oak Fern

Family:  Dryopteridaceae (The Wood Fern Family)

Zone Hardiness:  2-9

Light:  Part Shade, Full Shade

Height:  8-12"

Width:  12-24"

Primary Bloom Colour:  

Secondary Bloom Colour:  

Foliage Colour:  Green

Class:  Deciduous

Type:  Perennial

Bloom Time:  

Soil Moisture:  Average

Stem Colour:  

Fragrance:  No

Berries:  

Benefits:  

Deer Resistant:  Yes

BC Native:  Yes

Native Habitat:  Moist to wet rocky forests, rocky slopes and ledges, and bog margins usually in montane and subalpine zones.

Award:  AGM

Geographical Origin: