| Description | Robust Male Fern (Dryopteris x complexa) is a fertile hybrid of the Male Fern. Very hardy and easy to grow fern. Very adaptable to different sites. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (dry-OP-ter-iss) |
| Plant Type | Ferns - Hardy |
| Hardiness Zone | 5-9 |
| Sunlight | part shade, shade |
| Moisture | average to moist, can tolerate some drier soils |
| Soil & Site | native to cold, rocky, acid soils. |
| Flowers | non flowering |
| Fruit | spores |
| Leaves | fronds are bipinnate, narrow at the base, can be evergreen, semi evergreen to deciduous depending on the hardiness zone |
| Stems | stout rhizomes, erect or decumbent rhizomes |
| Dimensions | Reaches 3 plus feet tall and almost equal spread. The plants I have seen seem to be in the lower range of the height and spread. |
| Propagation | spores, division |
| Native Site | Species plants native to much of Europe, Asia, and North America. |
| Misc Facts | The genus name Dryopteris (Greek) means "oak-fern". The fern is found many times growing in Oak forests. The species name felis-mas means male fern, probably because of its vigorous growth. For centuries an extract of this fern was used to control tapeworms. The chemicals filicin and filmarone found in the oil are toxic to the worms. |
| Notes & Reference | #80-A Field Guide to Ferns (Boughton Cobb), #90-Ferns for American Gardens (John T Mickel),#145-Plant Lives, (Sue Eland) www.plantlives.com |
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