Alice Smith Fern Allee

Alice Smith Fern Allee

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This pathway is bordered on each side by more than 60 varieties of ferns, which thrive with other shade-loving plants. The woodlands and wetlands of the Arboretum are speckled with at least 22 varieties of native ferns. Since they were far from accessible trails, this special area was created to showcase non-natives alongside natives. As ferns are unfolding their fronds, they are known as fiddleheads. Ferns are among the oldest plant forms, dating back as far as 350 million years.

Our collection includes the tatting fern (Athyrium filix-femina ‘Frizelliae’), the Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and the upside-down fern (Arachnoides standishii), among others.