Southern Woodfern Other Common Names: Southern Woodfern, Florida Shieldfern Scientific Name: Dryopteris ludoviciana Native to Alabama: Yes
	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Alan Cressler Click on image to enlarge it

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Basic Plant Information
	I am a non-woody vascular plant, so I am a fern. I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous. I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial. I can grow 2 - 4 feet high and 2 - 3 feet wide.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sally and Andy Wasowski Click on image to enlarge it

 






















 

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Ecological Benefits

White-tailed deer browse leaves during summer; can provide significant cover for wildlife; value of this fern to wildlife appears to be low overall

 
  

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Maintenance Notes
Dormant in winter. Fronds can be cut for an indoor vase. Dead plants can be cut back in early spring before new growth emerges. When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds.  Water should reach all roots. Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves. Requires moist to wet soil at all times.
Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

 
 

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Habitat Requirements
This plant prefers:
Part Sun/ Shade (2-6 hours of sun per day) Shade (Less than 2 hours of sun per day)		Moist to wet soil at all times	Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic, or Moist Soil

 
 

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Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification
LEAF DESCRIPTION						Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sally and Andy Wasowski Click on image to enlarge it
Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)
Shape: Lanceolate		Margin: Lobate		Arrangement: Whorled	Form: Simple
Description:
Triangular, shiny, leathery, dark green fronds (leaves); fronds are dimorphic (of two shapes): fertile fronds are upright, up to 3’ long, narrower; sterile fronds are reclined, up to 1.5’, less narrow; stalk of leaf covered in light brown, papery scales

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Southern Woodfern is not a flowering plant

SEED DESCRIPTION					Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center David J. Stang Click on image to enlarge it
Type: Spore-bearing cones		Description: No fruit or seeds; reproduces by spores; spores are found in sori on the bottom side of the frond
Plant spreads by:
Spores and Rhizomes/Tubers/ Roots & Shoots Underground rhizomes spread and create new clumps of plants; spores spread by air or animals passing by

 

 

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Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle: Ferns reproduce by spores rather than seeds. Spores are contained in cone-like spore cases at the ends of the stems. The spores are dispersed by the wind. When the spores land on a damp surface, they grow into small male and female structures. Finally, when fertilization takes place, the plant will grow to form the visible stems used to identify the horsetail plant.

 

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Quick Fact Sheet (Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign: Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign: Editable Word Doc

QR Code (Links to this Webpage)

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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Plant Database		Alabama Plant Atlas
North Carolina State Extension

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