Dryopteris wallichiana, Wallich's Wood Fern or Alpine Wood Fern is a robust hardy fern with large upright fronds that form a stunning architectural shuttlecock shape. Larger than many ground ferns, Dryopteris wallichiana has impressive emerging croziers covered in dark bristly scales that unfurl in Spring. The bi-pinnate fronds are a lush emerald green and when planted en masse transform a shady garden into a primevil prehistoric setting.

It is a rugged fern, and reasonably tolerant of periods of dry conditions but ideally grown in semi-shade with a moist humus-rich substrate