Glade Fern

Glade Fern - Deparia Acrostichoides

Glade Fern - Deparia Acrostichoides. The Glade fern is a perennial that features significant clusters leaves in ascending order. The underside of the leaflets has a herringbone pattern to them, which gives it a unique appearance. Leaf blades typically grow between 30 and 75 cm in length and approximately 9 inches wide, and each blade is compounded into leaflets. The Glade fern is most commonly found along the moist ground and is located in various areas of Illinois. The fern thrives in lightly shaded areas, silted soil, and under wet conditions. It is rather hearty and does not often have issues with insects and plant diseases. Glade fern develops leaves in groups that get to be about one and a half to three and a half feet tall. They have a unique purple color at the base and then become a darker green as you go up. They drought tolerant but it does need lots of moisture. It does prefer light shade as well as moist, loamy, or silty soil. It does tend to disease and insect problems. It is deciduous, so it dies down in the winter, but new leaves start producing in the spring and continue throughout the summer. It is also very adaptable for gardens. It is widely scattered throughout Illinois, but it's mostly uncommon throughout the state, only at the southernmost tip can you see it more readily. The habitats include low wooded slopes, shaded ravines, rocky canyons, and wooded areas along the streams. It is founded mostly around sandstone or limestone that is close to the ground surface. It does tend to be eaten by white tail deer. But it does provide cover for other wildlife. It is readily distinguishable from other ferns by its shiny leaves, large size, and the simple pinnate structure of the leaves and the smooth margins of the long slender leaflets; Which gives the glade fern a more exotic look to it.