Tassel Fern

Common Names

Tassel Fern, Japanese Tassel Fern, Japanese Lace Fern, Korean Tassel Fern, Bristle Fern

Summary

Polystichum polyblepharum, commonly called Japanese Lace Fern or Tassel Fern, is an evergreen fern native to Japan and Korea. It forms outward-spreading vase-shaped clumps about 1.5–2 feet tall and wide, with dark green, glossy, bipinnate fronds up to 1–2 feet long, new fronds unfold as crosiers often coated with golden hairs, and stipes are clad in silvery scales, giving a shuttlecock-like silhouette. It grows best in partial to full shade on evenly moist, well-drained loams enriched with organic matter, crowns should be protected from excessive winter wet. The plant is deer- and rabbit-resistant and requires low maintenance once established, making it suitable for borders, woodland and shade gardens, foundations, rock gardens, containers, and underplanting beneath roses and shrubs. It can be propagated by spores or by dividing rhizomes in spring or by detaching fronds bearing bulbils in autumn, and it is hardy in USDA zones 5–8.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

18-24 inches

Spread

18-24 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-8

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally Partial Shade; tolerates Full Shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained loamy soil rich in organic matter.

Soil Drainage

Consistently moist, well-drained soil.

Soil pH

Tolerates all pH levels

Bloom Color

Bronze

Bloom Time

Non-flowering

Foliage Color

Bronze in spring; green in summer, autumn, and winter

Fall Foliage Color

No fall foliage color; evergreen, stays green year-round.

Leaf Lifecycle

Other

Growth Rate

Medium

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Autumn (Fall), and Winter

Propagation Methods

Spores, Division, Bulbil propagation (detaching fronds bearing bulbils)

Attracts Wildlife

Bees and many other pollinating insects