Note: Click on images to see enlarged photos, captions, and photo attributions.
On a mobile phone, click on the information symbol (circle with a letter ℹ︎ symbol).
Tried and True Native Plant Selections
for the Mid-Atlantic Region
Print Version (Legal Size):
Sitobolium punctilobulum (Hay-scented Fern)
Fomerly Dennstaedtia punctilobula, this native* of open woods and dry slopes can spread quickly in shady woodland gardens. Crush some leaflets and its common name becomes apparent from the emanating hay-like scent. It is found throughout most of the Mid-Atlantic.
*It is native to DC, common in DE, and present throughout MD and in parts of PA. In VA, it is common in the mountains (especially in northern red oak forests), frequent in the Piedmont, and infrequent but widespread in the Coastal Plain. You can view the VA counties in which it has been reported here.
Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants:
Tried and True Native Plant Fact Sheets