Comptonia peregrina

Sweet fern is a unique plant, the only species in its own genus. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and named liquidambar peregrina. It comes from North America and naturally occurs in sandy, dry loams among pine trees and surrounded by heather.

Sweet fern is a small, deciduous, rare shrub which looks like a fluffy bush of small-leaved ferns. Its fresh green leaves are only about 1 cm wide and up to 6 cm long, shallowly lobed to almost serrated at margins, and release a sweet and spicy fragrance, especially when crushed. Flowers are insignificant. The plant can grow up to 1m tall but is usually half the size, forming dense tufts.

Its leaves are edible and were used for making tea with bitter but not unpleasant taste owing to tannins which they contain. Sweet fern leaves are also still today used as a seasoning, combining the tastes of honey, eucalyptus, and pine. It is common for pork and chicken and is fantastic with oily fish such as salmon and mackerel. It can be used in dry rubs and marinades, and makes a great infusion with rum, vodka, and rye.

It grows slowly and is difficult to transplant. Thanks to runners it forms colonies. Sweet fern loves sunny and dry locations with poor, sandy soil of acid pH, but will adapt to most soil types including neutral or lime-based, and once established it can take temporary flooding. It is resistant to cold, strong wind, and drought. Hardy to -45°C (USDA zone 2).

Last update 02-03-2020