Diplazium pycnocarpon

The narrow glade fern favors the mid-south, growing on moist hillsides. In open areas, it may form extensive colonies with fronds four feet long. The fronds are dimorphic, with the sterile fronds being produced in the spring and the fertile fronds being produced in the summer. The fertile fronds are taller than the sterile ones as well as having thicker tissue and narrower pinnae.

The narrow glade fern is a species which is at its best in the mid-south. It is only sporadically found north of the Mason-Dixon Line. When conditions are most suitable--a well-drained moist slope with rich soil with high light levels but indirect light--it may grow a meter tall and form a large, dense colony.

This fern is simply pinnate. The frond grouping resembles a crown, but is really the end of a creeping rootstock. The sterile fronds appear in the spring, with the fertile fronds beginning to emerge in mid-summer. The fertile fronds are taller than the sterile, with narrower pinnae.

The narrow glade fern is attractive in the garden, usually being a light green, appearing to have a crown but actually having a slowly creeping rootstock. However, the foliage may appear tattered by late summer, especially if there is a drought. Overall, it has a very erect appearance and is easy to grow.