Polystichum polyblepharum
An evergreen East Asian fern with glossy dark green bipinnate fronds arranged in shuttlecock-like rosettes and tassel-like new growth, forming a vase-shaped clump in consistently moist, well-drained soil under full to partial shade.
Common Names
Tassel Fern, Japanese Tassel Fern, Japanese Lace Fern, Korean Tassel Fern, Bristle Fern
Summary
Polystichum polyblepharum, commonly called Japanese Lace Fern or Tassel Fern, is an evergreen fern native to Japan and Korea. It forms outward-spreading vase-shaped clumps about 1.5–2 feet tall and wide, with dark green, glossy, bipinnate fronds up to 1–2 feet long, new fronds unfold as crosiers often coated with golden hairs, and stipes are clad in silvery scales, giving a shuttlecock-like silhouette. It grows best in partial to full shade on evenly moist, well-drained loams enriched with organic matter, crowns should be protected from excessive winter wet. The plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and requires low maintenance once established, making it suitable for borders, woodland and shade gardens, foundations, rock gardens, containers, and underplanting beneath roses and shrubs. It can be propagated by spores or by dividing rhizomes in spring or by detaching fronds bearing bulbils in autumn, and it is hardy in USDA zones 5–8.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
18-24 inches
Spread
18-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Partial Shade; tolerates Full Shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained loamy soil rich in organic matter.
Soil Drainage
Consistently moist, well-drained soil.
Soil pH
Tolerates all pH levels
Bloom Color
Bronze
Bloom Time
Non-flowering
Foliage Color
Bronze in spring; green in summer, autumn, and winter
Fall Foliage Color
No fall foliage color; evergreen, stays green year-round.
Leaf Lifecycle
Other
Growth Rate
Medium
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Autumn (Fall), and Winter
Propagation Methods
Spores, Division, Bulbil propagation (detaching fronds bearing bulbils)
Attracts Wildlife
Bees and many other pollinating insects
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- C.Presl
- Publication
- Epimel. Bot. 56. 1851 [Oct 1851]
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Polypodiophyta
- Class
- Polypodiopsida
- Subclass
- Polypodiidae
- Order
- Polypodiales
- Family
- Dryopteridaceae
- Subfamily
- Dryopteridoideae
- Genus
- Polystichum
Synonyms
Aetopteron polyblepharon Aspidium polyblepharon Polystichum japonicum Aspidium polyblepharum Aspidium aculeatum var. japonicum Polystichum aculeatum var. japonicum Polystichum polyblepharum f. scabiosum