WOOD FERN

In the cool, moist overgrowth of the forest of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, protected from the blazing California sun by the leaves and branches of coastal oaks, the wood fern thrives.

With a range that stretches from Washington state through Southern California, the plant prefers moisture and shade, but is able to survive during hot, dry spells.

Ferns, usually tender to drying winds and high temperatures, can grow to 50 feet long in other parts of the world.

The wood fern is generally shorter, hardier and is drought-resistant.

Leafy fronds that can grow to 2 1/2 feet long arch out from a woody base, their tips sometimes brushing the ground. Dark green and spiny-toothed leaf segments project from the frond’s center stem.

Like all ferns, the wood fern reproduces itself by spores. Large, round spore clusters form directly on the leaves in parallel rows on either side of the center vein. The spores mature during the warm months between April and November.

The plant belongs to the dryopteris family and is one of three types found in the West. It has no practical use, but a cousin, the male fern, is a potent tapeworm remedy.

The wood fern is difficult to grow in gardens.