Japanese Climbing Fern: Invasive Vine to Eradicate

Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum) is a highly invasive vine that can smother native vegetation. If you spot it, remove it immediately.

Identification

This fern doesn't look like typical ferns. Its fronds are long, twining, and finely divided, climbing by twining around stems and branches. The leaflets are small, triangular, and often have a slightly lobed appearance. It reproduces by tiny spores and spreads rapidly via contaminated pine straw mulch.

Why It's a Serious Threat

In Florida's pine plantations, dry Japanese climbing fern acts as a ladder fuel, carrying fire into tree canopies and creating extreme fire hazards. In gardens, it overwhelms shrubs and perennials, forming dense mats that block light.

Control Measures

• Hand-pull: Remove all visible vines, tracing them to the root crown. Bag and dispose of in trash (do not compost).
• Monitor: Check the site regularly for resprouts from missed rhizomes or new spores.
• Herbicide: For large infestations, foliar application of glyphosate or triclopyr during active growth can be effective. Follow label directions carefully.

Photos

Japanese climbing fern

Japanese climbing fern

Early detection and relentless removal are the keys to keeping this invader out of your landscape.