Old World Climbing Fern

Old World climbing fern – Lygodium japonicum

Category 1 Invasive plant

Family – Lygodiaceae (Climbing fern family)

Description – Perennial. Forb/Herb. Climbing with specially modified stem-like fronds 90 to 100 feet in length allow this Australian native to grow into the forest canopy, shading out even mature trees. This also allows normally beneficial ground fires to reach the tree tops and become destructive, tree killing crown fires.

Leafy branches off of main frond 2 to 5 inches long, produce two types of leaflets, one is a vegetative type of growth, the second is the spore producing type of leaflet which is common to ferns.