christmas fern
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English
23
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
2
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An evergreen fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) of eastern North America.
Example Sentences
- "Our well-known Aspidium acrostichoides, so available for winter decorations, is happily christened Cʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs Fᴇʀɴ – a name which I certainly hope will be generally adopted."
- "In reference to Dryopteris acrostichoides, it may be of interest to note the origin of the best known common name. The name christmas fern appears to have been thus applied for a comparatively short time."
- "Christmas fern can be massed as groundcover, or a clump looks nice tucked into the base of a stump."
Etymology
Coined by American botanist John Robinson in 1873. Polystichum acrostichoides had already become a common ornamental plant in the northeastern United States, with its fronds remaining green through Christmas in late December.