Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including GA
Genus host records with ranges including GA · Pteridium
- Callopistria cordataSilver-Spotted Fern Moth
- Callopistria granitosaGranitose Fern Moth
- Callopistria mollissimaPink-Shaded Fern Moth
- Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
- Fagitana litteraMarsh Fern Moth
- Homochlodes fritillariaPale Homochlodes
- Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
- Olethreutes osmundanaFern Olethreutes
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimNo records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Dennstaedtiaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Not applicable
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Not applicable” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “2–4 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “4–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum
Conservation status
| Georgia rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5T5 [G5] |
| GA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- nc_flora
- 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