Plant

Christmas fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

A native evergreen fern of eastern hardwood forests — distinctive glossy dark-green leathery fronds that persist through winter, the source of the common name. Common across Staten Island's Greenbelt understory and on shaded forest slopes. One of the easiest ferns to identify in winter when most other ferns have died back. Indicator of intact moist deciduous forest.

Scientific

Polystichum acrostichoides is a 1–3 ft evergreen fern with glossy dark-green leathery fronds that persist through winter. Each pinna (leaflet) is shaped like a tiny Christmas stocking — one of the species’ field-identification features and the basis of the “Christmas” name.

Native to eastern North America from southern Canada to the Gulf. Tolerates a wide range of forest understory conditions: shaded slopes, ravines, mesic mixed-hardwood forests. One of the most-frequently-encountered native ferns in the Northeast.

The species is an indicator of intact deciduous forest with adequate soil moisture and minimal disturbance. Highly browsed sites and degraded forests typically lack robust populations.

On Staten Island

Common in the Greenbelt’s understory and on shaded forest slopes across the borough. The species’ winter persistence makes it one of the more-conspicuous understory plants in cold months — visible green among brown deciduous leaf litter from December through March.

Sources

USDA NRCS Plants Database: Christmas fern
[[beacon-ny|New York]] Natural Heritage Program forest-understory documentation

Rooted in life.

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Cultural

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Scientific

On Staten Island

See also

Sources

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