FNPS Plant Database

Dryopteris ludoviciana

southern wood fern

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

southern wood fern

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Dryopteris ludoviciana

Family:

Dryopteridaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

fern

Size:

1.5-2 ft tall by 1-2 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

NA

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

evergreen

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Groundcover for moist, shady areas. This is an attractive fern that can form large patches in the right habitat area.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Friends

Propagation:

Division

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

Stays wet ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Organic

Soil pH:

Acid to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Native Habitats:

Seep slopes, wet hammocks. Shady, moist to wet swamp forests and floodplains.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update