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Comptonia peregrina
Sweet Fern
Features include narrow, deeply notched, dark green, fern-like, aromatic foliage and a greenish-brown, edible nutlet. This upright shrub is not a fern, despite its common name.
- » Despite its name, it is not a fern, but actually a deciduous shrub
- » Insignificant greenish flowers, both male and female on the same plant
- » Brown burrs contain edible nutlets
- » Medium-green leaves, resembling fern fronds, are brown in the fall
- » Mounding shrub, spreading by rhizomes
- » Bloom Time: Early summer
1gal
$43.88
2gal
$53.63
Attracts Wildlife
| • | Attracts Butterflies |
Growth Rate
| • | Medium |
Critter
| • | Deer Resistant |
Flowering Time
| • | Lt. Spr-Sum |
Foliage Color
| • | Green |
Planting instructions
| • | Container Plants |
Additional Information about Comptonia peregrina
Comptonia serves as a host plant for some species of butterflies and moths. Leaves have a pleasant fragrance, especially when crushed.
Growing & Maintenance Tips for Comptonia peregrina
Although not a legume, comptonia is a nitrogen fixer. Grows best in full sun, tolerating some shade and thrives in dry, slightly acidic, sandy soil, withstanding poor, even salty soils. If given room, it will colonize (spreading by rhizomes). It is deer resistant.