Plant Profile: Thelypteris noveboracensis

A perennial fern species, this plant thrives across the eastern United States and is prevalent in all three regions of North Carolina: the mountains, Piedmont, and coastal plain. It typically inhabits wooded areas and can create expansive colonies through its trailing rhizomes, which are covered in brown-black scales. This fern often flourishes in sunny spots that emerge from gaps in the tree canopy. As a wetland indicator, it can thrive in acidic soils with a pH below 4, often outcompeting other species. It serves as an excellent addition to woodland gardens or naturalized spaces, filling in areas after spring wildflowers have faded and providing shelter for toads. You can commonly find it in mesic forests, bottomland forests, bogs, and submesic forests.

The New York Fern typically forms clumps with at least three fronds, which are brown at the base and transition to green near the leaflets. Its double-cut pinnae contribute to a delicate, wispy appearance.

Seasons of Interest: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Leaf: Spring