PlantFiles: Giant Chain Fern
Woodwardia fimbriata

During the week of Aug 12, 2012, while camping on Briggs Creek, SW Oregon (Josephine Co), I had the pleasure of encountering this beautiful fern. I had never seen a fern quite like this before, and was enthralled with it, determined to find out what kind it was. (I even brought home a small specimen w/roots intact in native soil.) It definitely is a water lover, as it was flourishing close to streams and/or in soggy ground. I don't recall ever seeing a fern like it here in the Western Cascades or Willamette Valley, which is a good 150+ miles further north of where I found it. I hope I can provide it with its requirements and coax it into a healthy, thriving fern in all its glory, just as I remember it. What a beautiful and interesting addition to my shaded yard.

This fern is native to British Columbia, Canada, the USA (Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington), and Mexico.

Easy to grow fern for me as long as I don't let it get overheated and sunny. It is a native fern to the Western US and Canada... can grow in the right environment fronds up to 9' tall. Will root new ferns where leaves touch the ground. Sometimes deciduous in certain climates.