Lygodium japonicum
Japanese climbing fern
Overview
Japanese climbing fern is a twining, vine-like fern in which the leaf stalk itself climbs, twisting around stems and other supports rather than producing a self-supporting frond. The wiry, dark rachis grows on indefinitely, 6-30 feet (1.8-9 m) long or more, carrying many triangular leaflets that give the plant a lacy, fern-like look. The leaflets are of two kinds: broader sterile ones and narrower fertile ones whose margins bear the spore-producing structures. Lygodium japonicum spreads both by wind-blown spores and by creeping underground rhizomes, forming dense mats that climb over shrubs and trees and can smother the plants beneath. In warm regions it is evergreen; cold winters kill the top growth, which resprouts from the rhizome. It is listed as an invasive and noxious weed across the southeastern United States, where it overruns natural areas and fire-prone woodland. Its fast, twining growth and heavy spore load make it spread far beyond where it is planted, so it is grown rarely and watched closely where it occurs.
Native Range
Native to eastern and southeastern Asia, including Japan, Korea, China, and parts of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Lygodium japonicum grows in open woods, thickets, stream banks, and disturbed ground, and has naturalized across the southeastern United States.Suggested Uses
Seldom planted because of its invasive spread, it is found mainly as an escaped weed climbing over woodland edges, fences, and shrubs in the warm southeast. In its native range it has been used in traditional medicine and basketry. In regulated areas the work centers on removal rather than garden use.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6' - 30'
Width/Spread3' - 10'
Bloom Information
As a fern, it bears no flowers and spreads by spores. The fertile leaflets release wind-blown spores mainly in late summer and autumn. New twining growth extends through the warm season from spores and from the rhizome.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight