Evergreen, dark, shiny green fronds are leathery and lance-shaped and divided with holly-like leaflets. Typically grows in asymmetric fountain like clump. Young fiddleheads in spring have a silver sheen. Easy to grow in organically rich, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade.

Evergreen through the winter, Christmas Fern has been used for Christmas decorations, as the pinnae looks like small Christmas stockings.

Use in mass plantings for erosion control, as border plants, along foundations and walls. Christmas Fern is a native fern that can be found on wooded slopes, banks and ravines throughout the eastern United States. Leaves can be used in cut flower arrangements.