Polypodium virginianum

Common Names

Common Polypody, Rock Polypody, Rock Cap Fern, Virginia Polypody, American Wall Fern

Summary

Rock polypody is an evergreen fern native to eastern North America and parts of Canada, growing as a rhizomatous geophyte that forms dense colonies via creeping rhizomes. Fronds are 8–40 cm long and 2–3 cm wide, oblong to narrowly lanceolate and pinnatifid with a leathery texture; the undersides bear round sori arranged in rows between the midvein and the margin, lacking indusia, and spores are large (>52 µm) and tuberculate. It commonly grows on rocks, cliffs, and rocky slopes in shaded, moist habitats. Cultivation favors part to full shade and medium-moist, well-drained soils, with establishment sometimes challenging but plants then naturalizing through creeping rhizomes. It is suitable for rock gardens, native plant gardens, and woodland or shaded landscape spaces as an evergreen ground cover; propagation is by division or spores, and it tends to be pest- and disease-free and deer resistant, providing year-round visual interest.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3-16 inches

Spread

6-12 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade.

Soil Type

Rocky substrates with thin, well-drained soil over rock in damp, shady, cool to moist forests

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil that retains some moisture but does not become waterlogged

Soil pH

5.5-7.2

Bloom Color

Insignificant

Bloom Time

Non-flowering; does not bloom in any season.

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Other

Growth Rate

Low

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter

Propagation Methods

Spores, Cuttings (including root cuttings), Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds and small mammals