Polypodium californicum
California polypody
Overview
Polypodium californicum, the California polypody, is an evergreen to summer-dormant fern of the polypody family, forming low colonies from a creeping, scaly rhizome. The leathery fronds rise 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) tall, each blade deeply pinnately divided into 10-20 pairs of narrow, oblong segments with finely toothed edges. Round, orange-brown spore clusters (sori) sit in a single row along each segment underside, without the cup-like covering found in many other ferns. The rhizome creeps over rock and through leaf litter, sending up fronds in autumn as the rains return. Native to California and Baja California, P. californicum grows on shaded rock outcrops, north-facing banks, road cuts, and stream canyons, often among mosses on coastal and foothill slopes. The fronds green up with the cool, moist season and wither during summer drought, regrowing the following autumn. One limitation is this summer dormancy, which leaves bare rhizomes through the dry months. It spreads slowly into a low, ferny groundcover where shade and moisture persist.
Native Range
Polypodium californicum is native to California and Baja California, ranging from coastal bluffs and the Coast Ranges into the Sierra Nevada foothills. It grows on shaded rock faces, canyon walls, and north-facing banks, often in the company of mosses and other rock ferns.Suggested Uses
Polypodium californicum is grown in shaded rock gardens, on retaining walls, and among boulders in native and woodland plantings. It suits north-facing slopes and crevices where summer water is scarce. It also establishes on green walls and in container rockeries with sharp drainage.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'4"
Width/Spread1' - 2'
Bloom Information
As a fern, P. californicum produces no flowers and reproduces by spores. Spores ripen in the round sori on the frond undersides through winter and spring. New fronds emerge with autumn rains, and the colony is dormant in summer.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Tolerates up to 4 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
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Polypodium californicum grows in part to full shade on sharply drained, rocky or gritty soils and in rock crevices, across a pH of about 5.5 to 7.0. It is adapted to a Mediterranean cycle, growing with cool winter moisture and going dormant through summer drought, so it needs little summer water once established. It tolerates poor, thin substrates and the reflected dryness of rock faces. Established plants are hardy in roughly zones 8 to 10. Deep shade and steady winter moisture keep the fronds full. Heavy, waterlogged soil rots the rhizome.Pruning
P. californicum needs little pruning beyond removing withered fronds as the colony enters summer dormancy. Old fronds can be cleared once new ones emerge in autumn. No shaping is required for this low, spreading fern.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons