Plant this instead
Choose your county to list local plants first.
No recorded swaps for this county. Try the garden finder.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
5CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including GA
Genus host records with ranges including GA · Polystichum
- Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar
- Decantha boreasellaReticulated Decantha Moth
- Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
- Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
- Herpetogramma sphingealis
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Polystichum
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
- Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Dryopteridaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 7a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Hardiness · “Zones 7a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “1.4167–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “2–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Japanese Holly fern; Polystichum falcatum; fern
Conservation status
| Georgia rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | GNR |
| GA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- Georgia occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications