Dryopteris arguta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dryopteris arguta
Conservation status
Secure (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Dryopteridaceae
Genus:	Dryopteris
Species:	D. arguta
Binomial name
Dryopteris arguta (Kaulf.) Watt
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The coastal woodfern (scientific name: Dryopteris arguta) is a type of fern. It grows naturally along the west coast of North America. You can find it from British Columbia in Canada, all through California, and into Arizona in the United States.

This fern lives in many places, from sea level up to about 6,000 feet (1,829 meters) high in the mountains. It likes shady spots in forests, especially mixed evergreen forests and oak woodlands. It also grows in chaparral areas, which are shrublands with tough, woody plants.

What Does the Coastal Woodfern Look Like?

Dryopteris arguta, at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

The coastal woodfern can look a little different from one plant to another. Its small leaves, called leaflets, sometimes twist. This gives the fern a ruffled or lacy appearance. The edges of these leaflets are often toothed, like tiny saws. They might also have small, stiff hairs, called bristles, at their tips.