Carried by 30 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Blechnum spicant is a species of fern within its own family (Blechnaceae) known by the common name Deer Fern. It is native to Europe and western North America. In California it is found primarily along the coast from Santa Cruz northward. It is found is damp, shaded forest areas such as Redwood Forest and Mixed Evergreen Forest. Like some other Blechnum species it has two types of leaves. The sterile leaves have flat, wavy-margined leaflets 5 to 8 millimeters wide and arch gracefully, while the fertile leaves stand upright and have much narrower leaflets, each with two thick rows of sori on the underside. It typically goes dormant in winter. This is a very popular garden fern that can be used in coastal southern California if given shade, water and not too much heat.
Fern
2 - 4 ft Tall
2 ft Wide
Upright, Fountain
Moderate
Winter Deciduous
None
Containers, Deer resistant
Deep Shade, Partial Shade
Low, Moderate
Max 1x / month once established
Medium
Prefers rich, forest soil with well-decomposed organic component derived from decaying wood. For garden purposes add redwood compost to soil mix.
Cut back dead fronds in late winter or early spring before new growth emerges.
4*, 5*, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16*, 17*, 18, 19, 24
Moist places in old growth forests, woodlands and wetlands below 3, 000 ft.
Mixed Evergreen Forest, Forest, Wetland-Riparian
Use in a shaded, moist woodland garden with compatible trees and plants such as Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Firs (Abies spp.), Spruce (Picea spp.), and Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), other native ferns such as Giant Chain Fern (Woodwardia fimbriata), Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.), Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum), and Elk's Clover (Aralia californica)