Dig into Plants: Southern Woodfern

Southern Woodfern

Other Common Names: Southern Woodfern, Florida Shieldfern

Scientific Name: Dryopteris ludoviciana

Native to Alabama: Yes

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Alan Cressler

Learn More About...

Basic Plant Information

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

I am a non-woody vascular plant, so I am a fern.
I do not keep leaves year-round, so I am deciduous.
I die back in winter but regrow in spring for many seasons, so I am perennial.
I can grow 2 – 4 feet high and 2 – 3 feet wide.

Ecological Benefits

White-tailed deer browse leaves during summer; can provide significant cover for wildlife; value of this fern to wildlife appears to be low overall

Maintenance Notes

Dormant in winter.
Fronds can be cut for an indoor vase.
Dead plants can be cut back in early spring before new growth emerges.
When watering, hold hose to base of plant for a count of 5 seconds. Water should reach all roots.
Avoid sprinkling water on the leaves.
Requires moist to wet soil at all times.

Moist to wet soil at all times: water three times per week.

Habitat Requirements

This plant prefers:

Part Sun/ Shade
(2-6 hours of sun per day)

Shade
(Less than 2 hours of sun per day)

Moist to wet soil at all times

Sandy, Loamy, Clay, Acidic,
or Moist Soil

Leaf, Flower & Seed Identification

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Sally and Andy Wasowski

LEAF DESCRIPTION

Triangular, shiny, leathery, dark green fronds (leaves); fronds are dimorphic (of two shapes): fertile fronds are upright, up to 3’ long, narrower; sterile fronds are reclined, up to 1.5’, less narrow; stalk of leaf covered in light brown, papery scales.

Leaf Characteristics Chart (PDF)


Shape: Lanceolate	Margin: Lobate

Arrangement: Whorled	Form: Simple

FLOWER DESCRIPTION

Southern Woodfern is not a flowering plant

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – David J. Stang

SEED DESCRIPTION

Plant spreads by:
Spores and Rhizomes/Tubers/ Roots & Shoots
Underground rhizomes spread and create new clumps of plants; spores spread by air or animals passing by.


Type: Spore-bearing cones	Description: No fruit or seeds; reproduces by spores; spores are found in sori on the bottom side of the frond

Plant Life Cycle

Plant Life Cycle:

Ferns reproduce by spores rather than seeds.
Spores are contained in cone-like spore cases at the ends of the stems.
The spores are dispersed by the wind.
When the spores land on a damp surface, they grow into small male and female structures.
Finally, when fertilization takes place, the plant will grow to form the visible stems used to identify the horsetail plant.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS

Quick Fact Sheet
(Condensed Species Info)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Ready as-is PDF

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Ready as-is PDF

QR Code
(Links to this Webpage)

Plant ID Sign (Text Only):
Editable Word Doc

Plant ID Sign (With Picture):
Editable Word Doc

FOLLOW US

JOIN/RENEW

SHOP

QUICK LINKS

HABITAT LEARNING LAB: