Comptonia peregrina
Sweet Fern
Please register or login to build your personal plant list.Sweet Fern is not a fern, but a multi-branched, mounded shrub with dark green, aromatic, fern-like leaves. Its inconspicuous, yellow-green catkins...
Description:
Sweet Fern is not a fern, but a multi-branched, mounded shrub with dark green, aromatic, fern-like leaves. Its inconspicuous, yellow-green catkins (elongated, drooping clusters of tiny flowers without petals) appear April-May, followed by small, burr-like nutlets. It is a host plant for butterfly and moth larvae (caterpillars), including Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus). This plant fixes its own nitrogen, and can tolerate sandy, nutrient-poor soil. It also tolerates wet conditions, as well as drought. Sweet Fern will form dense colonies once established. Use in naturalized areas, rain gardens, and on slopes for erosion control.
Plant Details:
Plant Type: Groundcover, Shrub
New Jersey Native: Yes
Bloom Times: Spring, Late Spring to Early Summer
Bloom Colors: Yellow, Green
Deer Resistance: High
Attracts Pollinators and Wildlife: Butterflies
Salt Tolerance: Low to None
Hardiness Zone: 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Physiographic Region: All Regions in NJ
Grows in Special Ecoregions: Barrier Island/Coastal, Pinelands
Soil Characteristics
Soil Type: Loam, Organic, Sandy
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil pH: Acidic, Slightly Acidic
Light Needs of Plant
Optimal Light: Partial Shade
Light Range: Full Sun, Partial Shade
Water Needs of Plant
Soil Moisture: Dry
Drought Tolerance: High
Size and Growth Rate
Height: 2 - 4 ft
Spread: 4 - 6 ft
Growth Rate: Slow