People are often surprised to learn that the grandiose foliage of this impressively large plant is actually a fern! Large, soft, rounded segments are suspended on gracefully arching stems, reaching up to 6 feet in length! They are Sub-Dimorphic, meaning that instead of putting up separate fertile fronds like true Dimorphic ferns, they will selectively transform the tips of some of their vegetative fronds into bronze-to-cinnamon colored fertile structures. This is a fern of unparalleled mimicry with the sterile fronds copying the locust tree (Robinia) leaves and the fertile panicles echoing astilbe seed heads. In the spring there are curious woolly caps on the impressively large fiddleheads which detach as the unfurling progresses. The roots form a interlacing spongy mass that was once collected and used by orchid growers as a potting media.

Royal ferns can suggest a tropical look but without all the fuss of winter protection since they are extremely cold tolerant once they go dormant for the winter. For the maximum size they are best in a damp spot in partial to full sun, depending on the brutality of your sun! I do have several stock plants in pots but be forewarned that they soon outgrow your ability to move them around and may require a soaking tub to live in in the growing season. 

Frond Condition:  Deciduous
Mature Height: 4-6'
Origin: Europe and British Isles
Cultural Requirements:  Sun (if consistent ample moisture is available, such as boggy conditions), Part Sun, Part Shade, Evenly Moist, Wet, Bog
USDA Zones:  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9