Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, is an evergreen fern native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to Florida and eastern Texas and naturalized in Europe. It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America, being found within moist and shady areas in forests, rocky slopes, and stream banks. The common name of Christmas fern, derives from its leathery evergreen fronds which are often still green at Christmas in December. This fern adapts very well to garden conditions, only requiring a moist, shady spoy with an organic soil. Photo McCurtain Co., AR.