Christmas fern

American  

noun

1. an evergreen fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, having dense clusters of stiff fronds growing from a central rootstock.

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Etymology

Origin of Christmas fern

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

“This is one of my favorites. The appearance is similar to Christmas fern but lighter in color and more robust,” he said.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2015

The Christmas fern is one of the easiest ferns to grow and takes a range of conditions.

From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2015

But Esther Carpi’s red beet, Mary Paige Hickey’s Christmas fern and Lee Boulay D’Zmura’s radish are no less precisely rendered.

From Washington Post • Dec. 26, 2014

The name Christmas fern, due to John Robinson, of Salem, Mass., suggests its fitness for winter decoration.

From The Fern Lover's Companion A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada by Tilton, George Henry

The Christmas fern, with its glistening leaves of holly green, has a stout, creeping rootstock, which must be firmly secured, a few stones being added temporarily to the hairpins to give weight.

From The Garden, You, and I by Wright, Mabel Osgood