# Cultivation and use of wood, shield and lady ferns
Wood, shield, and lady ferns are shade-garden perennials from the genus *Dryopteris* (wood and shield ferns) and the athyrioid lady ferns, grown for their foliage, sold in large numbers by nurseries, and historically used in medicine, most famously as a tapeworm remedy made from male [fern rhizome](https://www.edgepedia.org/fern-rhizome). This article covers their garden cultivation, notable cultivars, the nursery trade, and that medicinal history; it does not cover wild ecology or taxonomy.
*Dryopteris* is the largest genus in the family [Dryopteridaceae](https://www.edgepedia.org/dryopteridaceae), recognizable in the garden by the shaggy scales on the bases of the stipes and by round sori on the backs of the fronds; in lady ferns (*Athyrium*) the sori sit in elongate lines.[1](https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/dryopteris-wood-fern-fern-of-the-oak-woods) The genus is cosmopolitan, found on every continent except [Antarctica](https://www.edgepedia.org/antarctica).[2](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dryopteris/common-name/shield-fern/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genus size | More than 200 species of *Dryopteris*[3](https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/wood-fern/) |
| Light | Shade or semi-shade; full summer sun scorches most species[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide),[5](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris) |
| Soil | Moisture-retentive, rich, well-drained woodland soil; dry shade tolerated once established[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide),[2](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dryopteris/common-name/shield-fern/) |
| Propagation | Division of clumps or spores; division is the easiest method[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) |
| Garden size range | From *Dryopteris affinis* 'Crispa Gracilis' at no more than 20 cm (8 in) to *D. filix-mas* at over 1 m (3⅓ ft)[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) |
| Market milestone | *Athyrium niponicum* var. *pictum* named Perennial Plant of the Year 2004; over 2 million divisions sold per year in the US by 2006[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum) |
| Historical medicine | Male fern root was a tapeworm treatment known since ancient Greece and listed in early American pharmacopoeias[7](https://plantnative.org/native-plants/leatherwood-fern-dryopteris-marginalis.htm) |
## Cultivation requirements
**Shade and soil.** Most dryopteris originate from woodlands and prefer shade or semi-shade, thriving in any moisture-retentive soil; once established, many tolerate dry soils in shade.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) They prefer moist, rich, well-drained woodland soil and are tagged deer resistant and tolerant of heavy shade.[2](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dryopteris/common-name/shield-fern/) Woodlanders, a specialist nursery, recommends siting crowns where the summer sun never reaches full and hot, under high canopy or on a north or east aspect, and digging in as much leaf mold or compost as the ground will take.[8](https://woodlanders.net/blogs/the-node/field-guide-to-wood-ferns-dryopteris)
Light needs vary with leaf habit: deciduous and semi-evergreen species need bright light and appreciate some direct sun to develop fully, evergreen species are remarkably shade tolerant, and shade is mandatory in warmer zones.[9](https://www.hortmag.com/plants/wonderful-wood-ferns) Full summer sun can scorch these plants, and open sites exposed to strong winds, especially frost-laden winds, can damage young growth; the male fern (*Dryopteris filix-mas*) is among the species more tolerant of sun and exposure.[5](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris) *D. filix-mas* is evergreen to semi-evergreen, thrives in partially shaded moist areas, and suits mass plantings, woodland gardens, or borders.[10](https://portlandnursery.com/plant-library/ferns/dryopteris-wood-fern/) *Dryopteris cristata* tolerates a damper soil, while many other dryopteris tolerate dry shade.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) *D. affinis* (golden scaled male fern) forms clumps about 2 feet tall by 2 feet wide and grows equally well in acidic or alkaline soils.[1](https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/dryopteris-wood-fern-fern-of-the-oak-woods)
**Care.** These ferns appreciate yearly applications of garden compost or other organic material in the first few years after planting.[5](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris) Keep them well watered during their first year of establishment and protect them from exposed, windy sites; dryopteris rarely suffer from pest or disease.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) One recorded exception: in West Coast gardens, crested forms of *D. affinis* attract large numbers of leafhopper pests.[1](https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/dryopteris-wood-fern-fern-of-the-oak-woods)
**Propagation.** [Dryopteris](https://www.edgepedia.org/dryopteris) are propagated by dividing clumps or by growing spores, with division the easiest method for hardy ferns.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) A multiple crown, where there are several shuttlecock-like growth points, can take up to ten years to develop, so mature clumps are worth waiting for before splitting.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) For *Athyrium niponicum* cultivars, the optimal division window is early spring (March–April), when the burgundy croziers are just visible at the crown but before fronds expand; each division needs two to three growing points and consistent moisture for six to eight weeks.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum)
Spore sowing is slower but straightforward. Collect spores from the sori on the undersides of mature fronds in mid to late summer, surface-sterilize peat-free compost, and sow thinly in a 7.5 cm pot covered with clear polythene. A green film of prothalli appears on the soil surface after a month or two in a cool, lightly shaded spot, with the first fronds about a month later.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) Sporelings are pricked out when two to three fronds are visible, kept humid in a polythene bag away from direct sun, and are large enough to plant out in the garden in one to two years.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide) The sources reviewed here do not describe commercial tissue culture of these ferns.
## Notable cultivars and the Japanese painted fern's market position
The Japanese painted fern, *Athyrium niponicum* var. *pictum*, is a widely grown shade-fern ornamental. Its metallic silver coloring comes from anthocyanin pigments in the rachis and costae combined with reduced chlorophyll in the laminar tissue.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum) The Perennial Plant Association named it Perennial Plant of the Year in 2004, only the second fern to receive the honor after *Athyrium filix-femina* in 2001, and by 2006 American nurseries were selling over 2 million divisions per year.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum)
Named cultivars of *A. niponicum* include 'Metallicum', 'Burgundy Lace', 'Red Beauty', 'Pewter Lace', 'Wildwood Twist', and 'Silver Falls'.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum) The interspecific hybrid 'Ghost', a cross between *A. niponicum* and *A. filix-femina* reaching 60–90 cm tall, is sterile and propagated only by division.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum) The cultivars 'Crested Surf' and 'Applecourt' are sometimes asked about, but the sources reviewed here do not describe them.
Among wood ferns, Wallich's wood fern (*Dryopteris wallichiana*) is a vase-shaped plant with tropical-looking semi-evergreen fronds whose tightly arranged glossy pinnae fill out gracefully arching fronds two to five feet tall.[9](https://www.hortmag.com/plants/wonderful-wood-ferns) *D. affinis*, the golden scaled male fern, works as a specimen or mass planting against a wide variety of other woodland inhabitants.[1](https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/dryopteris-wood-fern-fern-of-the-oak-woods)
## By the numbers
- More than 200 species in the *Dryopteris* genus.[3](https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/wood-fern/)
- At least 16 *Dryopteris* species and cultivars listed in the trade by the North Carolina Extension, including *D. affinis* subsp. *affinis*, *D. × australis*, *D. erythrosora*, *D. filix-mas*, *D. goldieana*, *D. marginalis*, and *D. wallichiana*.[2](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dryopteris/common-name/shield-fern/)
- Over 2 million divisions of Japanese painted fern sold per year in the United States by 2006.[6](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum)
- Dryopteris ferns are commonly sold in 3-liter pots, with specialist cultivar suppliers including Fibrex, Long Acre Plants, and Crawford Ferns.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide)
- Up to ten years for a multiple crown to develop, the stage at which a clump is worth dividing.[4](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide)
No monetary valuation of the fern nursery trade appears in the sources reviewed here.
## Historical medicinal use: the male fern vermifuge
In colonial American medicine, the roots of male fern (*Dryopteris filix-mas*) were a well-known treatment for intestinal tapeworms, one of the oldest documented anthelmintic remedies in Western medicine, known since ancient Greece.[7](https://plantnative.org/native-plants/leatherwood-fern-dryopteris-marginalis.htm) The usage persisted into the 19th century and was listed in early American pharmacopoeias, though it has since been supplanted by safer and more effective treatments.[7](https://plantnative.org/native-plants/leatherwood-fern-dryopteris-marginalis.htm) The sources reviewed here do not cover the active compound (filicin), its preparation, efficacy, or safe dosage, nor the specific toxicity of male-fern extracts; readers should not treat these questions as settled by this article.
Indigenous North American uses of wood ferns are also recorded: the Iroquois used preparations of wood fern roots to treat intestinal worms, and the Cherokee used *Dryopteris* species, typically as a decoction of the rhizome, for ailments ranging from rheumatism to fevers.[7](https://plantnative.org/native-plants/leatherwood-fern-dryopteris-marginalis.htm)
## References
1. [Plant Profile: Dryopteris - Wood Fern](https://www.plantdelights.com/blogs/articles/dryopteris-wood-fern-fern-of-the-oak-woods)
2. [Shield Fern - Dryopteris | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/dryopteris/common-name/shield-fern/)
3. [How to Plant and Grow Wood Fern](https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/wood-fern/)
4. [How to grow dryopteris / RHS Growing Guide](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris/growing-guide)
5. [Dryopteris (Wood fern) / RHS Plant Guide](https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/dryopteris)
6. [Athyrium niponicum (Japanese Painted Fern) – VIRIAR](https://www.viriar.com/blogs/tree-fern-encyclopedia/athyrium-niponicum)
7. [Leatherwood Fern: Native Fern Growing Guide](https://plantnative.org/native-plants/leatherwood-fern-dryopteris-marginalis.htm)
8. [Wood Ferns (Dryopteris): A Field Guide for Shade – Woodlanders](https://woodlanders.net/blogs/the-node/field-guide-to-wood-ferns-dryopteris)
9. [Wonderful Wood Ferns - Horticulture](https://www.hortmag.com/plants/wonderful-wood-ferns)
10. [Dryopteris: Wood Fern - Portland Nursery](https://portlandnursery.com/plant-library/ferns/dryopteris-wood-fern/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Ferns and lycophytes › Other leptosporangiate fern families › Wood and shield ferns (Dryopteridaceae) › Cultivation and use of wood, shield, and lady ferns*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license