polystichum acrostichoides - christmas fern

The Christmas Fern leaves are evergreen and dark green in color.  The blade is once pinnate and narrowly lanceolate.  The pinnae are lanceolate with a prominent basal lobe that somewhat resembles the toe of a Christmas stocking.

This fern's leaves grow from 1 to 2 feet tall.  It is considered abundant, and is found on shaded rocky slopes and in mixed woods.