This has become one of my favorite ferns from the genus Dryopteris. Its new unfurling fronds emerge a brilliant orange-red that slowly evolves into a shiny olive-green, yielding all of the colors of fantastical dragons, from the golden underbelly to the fiery wing tips and nostrils! It has dark brown, almost blackish scales along the stipe. The habit is somewhat horizontally arching making the two foot frond length a perfect intermediate to blend with those new highly colored heucheras and tiarellas in the woodland garden. I first saw this in Martin Rickard's Shropshire garden in 1991 and was able to bring spores back and introduce it into the US market in my 1993 catalog. The species name literally translates from the Latin as "scaly foot fern," which, while descriptive, is not very inspiring.  I opted to dub this with the common name of 'Sunset Fern' in reference to its brilliant spring color so reminiscent of the Arizona sunsets where I grew up.

Frond Condition:  Evergreen

Mature Size:  2'

Origin:  Himalayas, Western China, Taiwan

Cultural Requirements:  Some Shade, Partly Shaded, Evenly Moist

USDA Zones: 6, 7, 8, 9