Deparia acrostichoides

Common Names

Silvery Glade Fern, Silvery Spleenwort, Silvery False Spleenwort, Silvery-Spleenwort

Summary

Deparia acrostichoides, commonly called silvery glade fern or silvery spleenwort, is a deciduous perennial fern native to eastern North America. It forms a clump about 2 to 3 feet tall and 1.5 to 3 feet wide from a short creeping rhizome, with green, hairy fronds and silvery undersides from the sori and indusia; the blade is oblong-lanceolate and pinnate-pinnatifid, with sori along veins in a distinctive herringbone pattern. In cultivation, it prefers partial shade to full shade with moist, rich, well-drained soil and tolerates sun only if soil remains constantly moist; hardy in USDA zones 3–7, it grows in damp woods and slopes and is suitable for woodland and shade gardens, naturalized areas, and as a specimen or groundcover plant. It spreads by short creeping rhizomes to form colonies but is not aggressive, and is valued for texture and the silvery undersides of the fronds.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-3 feet

Spread

2-3 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3a-8b

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade to full shade.

Soil Type

Moist, loamy, humus-rich, well-drained soil.

Soil Drainage

Moist but well-drained

Soil pH

Slightly acidic to neutral

Bloom Time

Does not bloom; reproduces by spores.

Foliage Color

Green with silvery undersides.

Fall Foliage Color

Yellow to straw-colored

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Moderate

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, and Fall

Propagation Methods

Spores, Division

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts songbirds