Blechnum spicant - Hard fern

Hard fern (Blechnum spicant) is an evergreen fern native to most of Europe, N. Africa, Japan and western North America. Its root is described as an emergency food “used when all else fails,” and its young shoots and stems are likewise foraged for survival (chewed to relieve thirst on long journeys) rather than eaten as a regular food.

Inputs

• Hardiness zone 4¹
• Hardiness zone 5¹
• Hardiness zone 6¹
• Hardiness zone 7¹
• Hardiness zone 8¹
• Full shade¹
• Semi-shade¹
• Full sun¹
• Moist soil¹

Outputs

• Emergency food¹
• Medicinal use¹

Type

• Evergreen
• Fern

Functions

• Ground cover¹

Footnotes

1. Blechnum spicant | Plants for a Future ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²