How to Grow and Care for Bladderferns

Brittle bladderfern, or Cystopteris fragilis, is found around the world wherever there are moist, shady areas. This plant grows in small clumps which form from rhizomes. Some plants are sterile and some are fertile.

Bulblet bladderfern (*Cystopteris bulbifera*) is a species of low-growing rock fern that is found primarily in eastern North America. In spring, the plant sprouts as red-colored fiddleheads which then unfurl and turn green. As the common name suggests, the plant propagates itself by producing small bulb lets at the base of its fronds, which is an unusual form of reproduction for ferns.

Lowland bladder fern (Cystopteris protrusa), also known as Fragile fern, is a common, exclusively terrestrial fern native to North America. In springtime, it can form dense colonies that usually disappear by summer, as lowland bladder fern is a spring ephemeral. It occurs in woodlands, valleys, slopes, and along streams.

Tennessee bladderfern belongs to the very diverse genus Cystopteris, consisting of numerous species that tend to hybridize easily with each other and produce quite different individual plants. Cystopteris tennesseensis is a very rare species. It's found in North America from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania to Oklahoma and Tennessee.

It's often hard to find mountain bladder fern (Cystopteris montana) in the wild because this damp-loving plant hides away on inaccessible rock ledges and forest river gullies. It is a mountain and cold weather specialist that is sadly being threatened by grazing and habitat loss and so is becoming increasingly rare.