fern
Christmas fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Low riskNot foodcommon
Evergreen woodland fern. Each leaflet has a Christmas-stocking thumb.
Leathery once-cut fronds that stay green under snow. Leaflets (pinnae) have a small upward lobe — the stocking toe.
- Habitat
- Wooded slopes, often north faces.
- Season
- Year-round.
- Size
- 1–2 ft
- Field marks
- Evergreen; stocking-toe leaflet
Use
Winter emergency insulation and trail marker. Fiddleheads of this species are not a recommended food.