Asplenium platyneuron

Common Names

Ebony Spleenwort, Brownstem Spleenwort

Summary

Ebony spleenwort is an evergreen fern native to the United States and eastern North America. It is dimorphic, with erect longer fertile fronds and shorter, prostrate sterile fronds, and a dark purplish-brown stipe and rachis. Leaves are pinnately compound with basal auricles overlapping the rachis, and it forms short-creeping rhizomes. It grows in shaded woods, rocky banks and slopes, talus, cliffs, and crevices on well-drained soils, from dry to moist, often as solitary plants or in clumps. Reproduction occurs by wind-dispersed spores on the undersides of fertile fronds in elongated sori during the summer to early fall, and by proliferating buds at the base of fronds that can establish new plants, enabling clonal spread.

It prefers well-drained rocky soils and tolerates shade to partial sun with dry to moist conditions, and is hardy in USDA zones 3–8. Propagation can occur by spores or division; uses include rock gardens, native plant and woodland gardens, rock crevices, walls, and as underplanting for shaded areas. The plant is generally pest- and disease-free, though slugs and crown rot can occur in poorly drained soils; it is deer resistant and tolerates a wide pH range, making it suitable for a variety of garden settings.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

6-12 inches

Spread

1-2 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained, rocky soil (gritty or humusy) with slightly acidic conditions (pH ~4.5–5.0).

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

5.5-7.0, slightly acidic to neutral

Bloom Color

Insignificant

Bloom Time

Does not bloom.

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Semi-deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

Propagation Methods

Spores, Division, Layering

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds, No information indicating attraction to bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, or other pollinators