Carrot Fern is a clump-forming, perennial, deciduous fern with wiry black stems holding upright the highly divided lacy fronds that resemble a carrot top and give the plant its common name. It is a native of Asia and thrives in the deep shade of wooded areas. It can reach a height and width of 18 inches, but may take 5 to 10 years to attain these dimensions. Carrot Fern does best in moist, well-drained, organically rich soil in partial shade. It is not particularly hardy and should be sited in a sheltered location. Alternatively, it can be grown in a container and taken indoors during colder winter temperatures. Carrot Fern is a rhizomatous geophyte, meaning that it stores energy in an underground stem (rhizome) and has its growing points underground (geophyte). Maintenance should include removing dead fronds. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests. VIDEO Created by NC State Extension's Homegrown series featuring Mark Weathington , Director of JC Raulston Arboretum .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)