Comptonia Peregrina, Sweetfern

Day 256: Over the years, there have been several occasions when someone observed Comptonia peregrina in my garden and mistook it for another plant entirely, one which I would never, ever grow (and anyone who knows me should know that). While the leaf shape is superficially similar, anyone who can tell their left shoe from their right should be able to spot the differences even if they're only familiar with the other plant's iconic silhouette. The leaves of Sweetfern are simple and alternate, not palmately compound, and although both have jagged edges, Comptonia's leaf is pinnatifid (comprised of deeply divided lobes), as opposed to being serrated (toothed like a saw). My lovely, lush Comptonia has provided some amusing interludes as I show guests around my yard. When in fruit as it is now, there's little chance of misidentification. The end-of-thumb sized pods are covered with soft spines, and each holds up to four small nutlets which are purportedly edible. Northern Flickers find them particularly tasty.

Comptonia Peregrina

Day 271: Comptonia peregrina is a woody shrub native to the eastern portion of the country. Its common name of "sweetfern" is descriptive of the fragrant foliage which some feel is fern-like. Its natural growth habit is more leggy than it appears in this photo. I keep mine pruned into a relatively compact shape, so the deciduous foliage is actually quite dense. Removal of suckers keeps it from spreading out of bounds. In mid-summer, it produces soft-spined burrs, each of which contains 2-4 seeds. I have not had any success at propagating it from seed, but have managed to start rootstock cuttings.

Old Hairy Nuts

Day 307: The leafy foliage of Comptonia peregrina suggested that of ferns to early settlers on the east coast who dubbed the plant "Sweetfern," a term which also makes reference to the scent which rises from it. In its native habitat, it often forms dense colonies, but as a landscaping plant, it can be kept pruned back to be a manageable shrub. Some sources call it "invasive," but in my experience, the occasional runner which comes to the surface ten feet away is easily and permanently removed by cutting close to the parent plant. It is difficult to transplant or slip and should not be disturbed once it is established. My parent plant now sports a trunk as thick as my wrist, and I keep it pruned into a loose three-foot globe at the end of the flower bed closest to the kitchen door where its fragrance greets me when I step out to feed the birds. As the common name suggests, the odor is somewhat sweet, somewhat spicy, vaguely reminiscent of cinnamon or perhaps snickerdoodle cookies. It is particularly apparent on warm afternoons. It produces nutlets in hairy clusters near the tips of the branches. Each nutlet holds four seeds. My efforts to start Comptonia from seed have not been successful.

Horticultural Experiment

Day 71: Here you see the beginnings of another of Crow's infamous horticultural experiments: the collection and seed-cleaning of Comptonia peregrina nutlets, preparatory to attempting to germinate them indoors. I was rather surprised to find out that the plant doesn't seem to self-sow here in the Pacific Northwest, although it does send underground runners out at least ten feet. On the East Coast where it is native, it often forms substantial groves of shrubbery. On the other hand, it's leggy and unkempt in its native environment, but mine keeps a compact shape with only enough pruning to keep its lush foliage from blocking my sidewalk. As shrubs go, it's certainly not what you'd term an "ornamental," but oh, the fragrance! It well deserves its common names of Sweetfern or Spicebush. Even in the winter months when the leaves are dry and brittle, they hold their scent. Freshly cut in summer, they will perfume a room. When green, the nutlets (inset) may resemble burrs, but they are softly spiny, not prickly. Each one contains several hard, dark brown seeds when ripe. Comptonia foliage may be used to brew a somewhat bitter herbal tea which may be drunk or applied to the skin to treat poison ivy rashes.

Sweetfern Nutlets

Day 247: Sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina, aka Spicebush) is not native to the Pacific Northwest. Neither are Japanese Maple, Hydrangea, Euonymus nor a host of other shrubs you may find in our gardens. Comptonia grows wild in the hills of the east coast. My particular specimen followed me home from Maine where it grew leggy with long stretches of stem showing through sparse leaves. In my garden, it is a bush, a green mound of fragrant foliage which I keep carefully maintained to prevent it from spreading in the manner of its kind. It is notorious for sending out underground runners which may pop up ten feet away from the parent stock. However, my plant does not seem to propagate by seed even though it forms soft, spiny nutlets, giving rise to my affectionate nickname for it: Fuzz-nuts. Although my specimen is much bushier than its Maine cousins, the lushness of its foliage is not its main attraction. It is the sweet, spicy scent. The foliage is very aromatic, and the slightest brush against it releases the volatile oils responsible for its fragrance. That said, if cut and brought into the house, the scent is short-lived. Still, if you prune the plant to manage its form, those cut branches will look lovely on your mantelpiece even if they only do give you a few hours of olfactory pleasure.

What You Don't Know...

Day 82: They say (and I will be one of the first to point out: quite erroneously) that what you don't know won't hurt you. Ignorance of blasting caps aside, you can get yourself into some pretty bad situations if you're not fully apprised of the facts, and as far as plants go, many invasives have been introduced into areas in complete innocence. The classic example is the common dandelion. The two most common species were brought to the North American continent by a person or persons who wanted a reminder of their European home. Now they're a pest. There are more subtle examples and not all introduced plants have the potential for out-competing native species; it's only when they escape the cultivated garden that they become known as "weeds."

The shrub Comptonia peregrina (Sweetfern or Spicebush) is native to the eastern parts of the US. When I was visiting a friend in New Hampshire many years ago, I fell in love with the spicy scent of its foliage and decided to bring a slip home. It's said to be difficult to transplant. Perhaps because I didn't know that, I treated it in the manner which has proved successful for me with many other plants: I stuck it in a pot, bedded the pot and slip in the garden, and allowed the roots to form for a year before putting it directly in the ground. Not only did it "take," it flourished. My garden specimen was easily twice as densely leafed as any I'd seen back east. It liked me! It wasn't until some time later that I became aware of two facts about Comptonia. First, it is notorious for establishing monocultures. Second, the foliage has a reputation for being "poor-man's marijuana." No wonder I got some strange looks from people who saw it in my flower bed!

True to its nature, its roots have spread ten feet or more, popping up new plants further down the line. I manage them with a sharp shovel, keeping the growth confined to the original trunk. It is in no danger of taking over my garden, and from time to time, I enjoy the fragrance of a handful of leaves crushed and set in a bowl on my dresser...crushed, I said, not smoked.

Sweetfern, Comptonia Peregrina

Day 285: The common name "Sweetfern" is misleading. Comptonia peregrina is not a fern. It is a deciduous shrub commonly found in the understory of Eastern pine forests. Reputedly difficult to establish from a slip taken in the wild, mine which began as a thready 12" stem with only a handful of leaves has matured into a densely foliated bush with very little encouragement on my part. It presently sprawls three feet wide and equally as tall, adding a lovely spicy fragrance to the air outside my kitchen door. Its seed pods are particularly fascinating. Although they look spiny, the "prickles" are quite soft. In its native environment, this shrub tends to be leggy and somewhat weedy in appearance, but as a garden plant, it provides an excellent backdrop of green for colorful flowers.