fern
Southern shield fern
Thelypteris kunthii
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.
Hardy in zones 7–10, Southern shield fern is a fast-growing deciduous fern. It grows 2–3 ft tall and 2–3 ft wide, so plant it 2 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and average water, and it copes with wet soil. It is grown for its foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. It is native to the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and Texas and the South-Central states. 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
- Thelypteris kunthii
- Plant type
- Fern, deciduous
- Hardiness zones
- 7 to 10
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium; tolerates wet soil
- Soil
- Adapts to sand, clay and alkaline soils.
- Mature size
- 2–3 ft tall × 2–3 ft wide
- Spacing
- 2 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- natural, classic
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. No ASPCA entry found for this fern (ASPCA does list Boston, sword and holly ferns non-toxic). Marked toxic as a precaution, matching the other unlisted ferns in the table.
- Native to
- Southeast, Florida/Gulf and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $10–$18 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Cut back browned fronds in late winter.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Guides that include this plant
- What to plant in a shady bed in zone 9 (as a substitute)
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Southern shield fern, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Shrubby yew pinePodocarpus macrophyllus var. makishrub · zones 8–10
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
- Cast iron plantAspidistra elatiorperennial · zones 7–11
- Holly fernCyrtomium falcatumfern · zones 7–10
- Texas sedgeCarex texensisornamental grass · zones 7–9
- Christmas fernPolystichum acrostichoidesfern · zones 3–9
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Southern shield fern: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
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