Dryopteris x australis #1 (Dixie Wood Fern)

Dixie Wood Fern is a naturally occurring, semi-fertile hybrid between Southern US natives Dryopteris celsa and Dryopteris ludoviciana. Because of these large Wood fern parents, Dixie Wood Fern can grow to be a magnificent 4-5 feet in height under suitable conditions! It is semi-evergreen and strongly clump-forming. They are more adaptable to drier conditions and summer heat than our more Northern species of Wood Ferns, but still would prefer an organically rich, moist soil in the shade. These ferns have an erect, vase-like shape with a fine texture like that of Goldie’s Fern and they make a stunning specimen in the landscape.

Sources:
Native Ferns, Moss, & Grasses by William Cullina
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
NC State Extension
USDA Plants Database
The Morton Arboretum-Black Walnut Toxicity

Photo Credit:
Mature: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons