Cyrtomium fortunei aka Asian Netvein Hollyfern

Cyrtomium fortunei is called Japanese holly fern. It stays green and lives for more than one year. Its native range runs from the eastern Himalaya to Korea and Indochina. It also includes China, Japan, and Taiwan. In Japan, it grows in thickets on hills and low mountains. In China, it grows in damp rock cracks and shaded roadside spots. Its name honors Robert Fortune, a Scottish plant collector.

Most garden accounts give heights of 1–2 feet [0.3–0.61 metres]. Spread ranges from 1–2 feet [0.3–0.61 metres]. RHS gives a greater height of 4.9 feet [1.5 metres]. It lists a spread of up to 3.3 feet [1 metre]. Stiff fronds stand upright in a leafy rosette, or ring. Each frond can reach 2.5 feet [0.76 metres] long. Each has 12–26 pairs of leathery pinnae, or leaflets. Their shapes look like leaves on a holly branch. The leaves can be dull green, gray-green, or yellow-green. This fern has no flowers or fruit. It forms new plants through spores instead.

Grow it in part shade or deep shade. Strong sun can bleach the fronds and spoil their color. It needs moist soil with plenty of humus. Soil that drains well helps prevent root rot, most of all in winter. RHS lists clay, chalk, loam, and sand as suitable soils. The fern also grows in acid, neutral, and alkaline soil. American sources list USDA zones 6–9. RHS assigns H3 and says to guard it from frost. These ratings show that sources in different regions judge its hardiness differently. RHS says it takes two to five years to mature.

Use this fern in shaded borders, woodland beds, or rock gardens. It also suits pots and courtyards with shelter. Its green fronds give the garden leaves through winter. Deer and rabbits seldom cause much damage. It needs no pruning, though you can remove damaged fronds in spring. Plants have escaped gardens in the southern United States and Oregon. NC State warns that it can become weedy in some southern areas.

Serious pest and disease problems are rare, but they can occur. Watch for scale, fungal leaf spots, and root rot. Florida fern caterpillars may also attack the leaves. Plants For A Future lists no known food uses. It records uses of the rhizome, an underground stem, as medicine. These include treatment for worms. Those records do not show that home use is safe. That source lists no specific records of toxicity for this species. The lack of records does not mean it is safe to eat.