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Lygodium palmatum
Also called Hartford Fern, Windsor Fern, Creeping Fern, Climbing Fern
Lygodium palmatum is the only species of its genus native to North America. Unlike most species in the genus, this one, called the American climbing fern, Hartford fern (after Hartford, Connecticut), or Alice's fern, is extremely hardy in temperate zones (other species tolerant of temperate climates include New Zealand's Lygodium articulatum and the Japanese Lygodium japonicum, which is now highly invasive in Florida).The name "Hartford Fern" being derived from its former prevalence in Hartford and the surrounding Connecticut area. It was extensively used as a Christmas decoration by early settlers, leading to the first law protecting a plant species in the United States in 1869.
This fern is on endangered or threatened species lists in several states. It requires constant moisture, high light levels, and intensely acid soil to thrive.
Bushman's Mattress · Maidenhair Creeper · Lygodium heterodoxum · Japanese Climbing Fern · Small-leaf climbing fern · Monarch Climbing Fern · Climbing fern
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lygodium palmatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
