Overview
Sceptridium dissectum is a small terrestrial fern in the adder's-tongue family, growing from a short underground stem with fleshy roots rather than the creeping rhizome of typical ferns. Each plant produces a single leaf divided into two parts: a sterile blade and a separate spore-bearing stalk. The sterile blade is broadly triangular, 2-6 inches (5-15 cm) wide, and finely dissected into many small, irregularly cut segments, giving a lacy outline. It is held close to the ground on a short stalk and often turns bronze to coppery red through winter, fading to green again in spring. The fertile stalk rises 4-10 inches (10-25 cm) above the blade in late summer and carries branched clusters of round, yellowish sporangia that resemble tiny grapes, releasing spores in fall before withering. A new leaf emerges in late summer and persists through the following winter and spring. The fern grows in dry to moist woodlands, old fields, and shaded roadsides, often in poor or disturbed soil. It depends on soil fungi for establishment, so it transplants poorly and is seldom cultivated. Single plants appear scattered rather than in colonies, and the bronze winter color is its main seasonal feature.
Native Range
Native to eastern North America, from Quebec and Ontario south through the eastern United States to Florida and Texas.Suggested Uses
Grown rarely, and then in shaded native woodland and fern gardens where existing plants can be left undisturbed. Its bronze winter foliage adds low-level color to leaf-litter ground in the dormant season.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 10"
Width/Spread3" - 6"
Bloom Information
As a fern, Sceptridium dissectum produces spores rather than flowers. The grape-like fertile clusters ripen in late summer and shed spores through autumn, after which the fertile stalk withers.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
green, bronze in winterGrowing 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