Polypodium vulgare - Rockcap Fern

Polypodium vulgare, the Common Polypody, is a lovely little evergreen fern that will remind many of us of old botany lessons. A reminiscence of our school trips to the forest, this species is very common and grows almost everywhere, covering any available surface with its green lacework, even settling in the fertile pockets formed in the hollows of trees or between rocks. It gradually colonises a semi-shaded or shaded area through its wandering rhizome, from which narrow and dissected fronds of spring green emerge. Very easy to grow in any moist or even dry soil that is not too chalky, this worry-free fern is perfect in a rural setting or in a small Japanese scene.

Polypodium vulgare is part of a large group of plants called polypody ferns, which are terrestrial, epiphytic, or even lithophytic species, very common in the temperate northern hemisphere, belonging to the Polypodiaceae family. Polypodium vulgare can be found up to an altitude of 2200 m (7200 ft). It is found in Scandinavia, the Carpathians, and North America. Its natural habitat consists of rocky undergrowth, old walls, cracks between rocks, and the base of certain tree trunks, but rarely in limestone soil.

This  very hardy perennial fern grows from a fleshy, curiously sweet rhizome, covered with reddish scales. Capable of spreading on very different supports, its growth is quite slow. An adult plant will form a 25 cm (10 in) high carpet, covering an area of ​​50 cm² (7.8 in²). The foliage is composed of narrow, lanceolate fronds, very divided around a slender rachis. The plant produces sori (small sacs containing spores) throughout the year. They take the form of small warts of 2 mm (0.1 in) in diameter, orange in colour, located on the underside of the leaves.

Among the ferns of temperate zones, this one is undoubtedly the easiest to grow. Without causing any worries other than planting it, the common polypody has its place in the garden, bordering a rural hedge in the company of Meconopsis cambrica, or on a shaded slope where nothing grows, in the company of a pretty, variegated ivy (Hedera helix 'Variegata'). It can also be associated with helxine, eucomis, hostas, hydrangeas, and shrubby fuchsias, always in filtered light or shade. A tiny garden with a very Japanese spirit can also be created by combining it with round stones and mosses, or with a painted Japanese fern (Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum').