Nature Profile
Plants
Goldie’s wood fern
Dryopteris goldiana
Goldie’s wood fern
A deciduous fern, Goldie’s wood fern occurs in moist, rich soil in cool woods. Reaching a height of 3-5 feet, it is one of the largest Dryopteris in Ohio. The spores occur on the underside of the fronds, which have thick, straw colored, scaly stalks. One of the most interesting characteristics is the coloring of the leaflets, which can be golden-yellow at the midrib, gradually blending to dark green on the margin. This fern is a good choice for the woodland shade garden with moist rich soil.
