fern
Autumn fern
Dryopteris erythrosora
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Dryopteris erythrosora is a slow-growing semi-evergreen fern for gardens in zones 5–9. It grows 1.5–2 ft tall and 1.5–2 ft wide, so plant it 1.5 ft apart. Give it part shade to shade and average water. It is grown for its foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the grass role: a fern that adds fine, feathery texture in the middle of the bed, where a grass would go in a sunnier bed. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Dryopteris erythrosora
- Plant type
- Fern, semi evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 5 to 9
- Sun
- Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Humus-rich, moist, well-drained soil.
- Mature size
- 1.5–2 ft tall × 1.5–2 ft wide
- Spacing
- 1.5 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Grass, Filler
- Styles
- classic, modern, cottage
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. No ASPCA entry found; some Dryopteris species are toxic to livestock. Marked toxic until reviewed.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$22 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, more in heat; keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Established plants need water only in dry spells.
- Pruning
- Cut old fronds to the ground in late winter before new fronds unfurl.
Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder; state extension service fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Rutgers NJAES deer resistance ratings; state extension service; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States; state noxious weed and invasive plant lists; US garden-centre and home-improvement retail listings (general knowledge, 2026 estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- Deer-resistant plants for a part-shade bed in zone 5
- Deer-resistant plants for a part-shade bed in zone 6
- Deer-resistant plants for a part-shade bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- Deer-resistant plants for a part-shade bed in zone 8 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 5 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 7 (as a substitute)
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 8
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 9
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Autumn fern, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Lenten roseHelleborus × hybridusperennial · zones 4–9
- Bugleweed 'Bronze Beauty'Ajuga reptans 'Bronze Beauty'groundcover · zones 3–9
- Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost'Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'perennial · zones 3–8
- Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'ornamental grass · zones 5–9
- Bleeding heartLamprocapnos spectabilisperennial · zones 3–9
- Cast iron plantAspidistra elatiorperennial · zones 7–11
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Autumn fern: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
- Japanese forest grass 'Aureola'Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'zones 5–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Japanese painted fern 'Pictum'Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'zones 4–8 · flagged toxic to pets
- Holly fernCyrtomium falcatumzones 7–10 · not flagged toxic to pets
- Japanese sedge 'Evergold'Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'zones 5–9 · not flagged toxic to pets
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants