Dryopteris dilatata

Dryopteris dilatata, the broad buckler-fern,^[1] is a robust species of deciduous or semievergreen fern in the family Dryopteridaceae, native to Europe, particularly western and central Europe. In southern Europe, it is mostly found in mountainous regions. It is also found between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.^[2] It grows to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 120 cm (47 in) wide, with dark green tripinnate fronds, the ribs covered in brown scales.^[3][4]

Dryopteris dilatata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Division:	Polypodiophyta
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Suborder:	Polypodiineae
Family:	Dryopteridaceae
Genus:	Dryopteris
Species:	D. dilatata
Binomial name
Dryopteris dilatata (Hoffm.) A. Gray

The Latin specific epithet dilatata means "spread out".^[5]

The species^[6] and the cultivars 'Crispa Whiteside'^[7] and 'Lepidota Cristata'^[8] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[9]