hard fern

British  

noun

1. US name: deer fern.  a common tufted erect fern of the polypody family, Blechnum spicant, having dark-green lanceolate leaves: it prefers acid soils, and in the US is sometimes grown as deer feed

---

Example Sentences

Among the ferns was a variety called Blechnum spicant, also known as a hard fern or deer fern.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2023