Jimmy Dyce's
Upright Broad Buckler Fern; aka,
Jimmy's Woodfern
"Our vales are sweet with fern & rose,
Our hills are maple-crowned;
But not from them our fathers chose
The village burying-ground."
-John Greenleaf Whittier
1807-1892
1807-1892
The printed tag for this cultivar of Dryopteris dilatata was quite clear that this was 'Recurvata Dyce,' but unless it meant that it was crossed from two cultivars, the tag has to have been misprinted, as 'Recurvata' & 'Jimmy Dyce' are separate selected forms of the species.
'Recurvata' has a somewhat weeping form, & 'Jimmy Dyce' is largely upright, whereas this one labeled 'Recurvata Dyce' has rigid leaning fronds, so I suppose it really could be some regional grower's hybrid. But I've seen enough 'Jimmy Dyce' specimens that also leaned rather than standing upward, especially when they are young, so I'm sure the tag was mistaken & this is purely & simply 'Jimmy Dyce,' shown here in August (2004) & September (2002).
In any case, 'Recurvata' doesn't exactly weep. The very tips curve down & the individual leaf segments along each frond bend backward. 'Jimmy Dyce' by contrast has a pointed tip that only occasionally folds down, & the individual leaf sections bend upward & downward for a ruffled effect. I've given the comparisons too much thought because of that puzzling tag that claimed it was the non-existent 'Recurvata Dyce,' & I just can't see the 'Recurvata' in it, nor find any catalog listing for such a cross.D. dilatata is believed to have originated naturally from hybridizations in the wild of D. expansa & D. azorica, having traits intermediate between its likely parents. D assimilis is also sometimes included with D. dilatata, & there appear to be some taxonomic differences of opinion about all of this, but as cultivated the names have become standardized as D. dilatata followed by cultivar name.
The natural cross grows through much of Eurasia with a great many regional forms, & selected forms have been discovered here & there with traits worthy of cultivation for the nursery trade. This particular form of the broadbuckler was first collected by Jimmy Dyce from the Isle of Arron, & has become a trade standard.
The fronds are stiffer & tougher than for the species as a whole, yet still rather lacy, like heavily starched triangles of blue-green lace stuck like feathers into a dome-shaped root-crown. It has a vaguely blue tinge to its dark green. In mild winters such as we experience, it is fully evergreen. Other D. dilatata cultivars tend to be only semi-evergreen, & one other cultivar that we have, 'Lepidota Cristata,' would be better characterized as semi-deciduous, by our experience.
As 'Jimmy Dyce' likes to grow on tree stumps, when I planted it in humusy soil, I buried some limbs underneath it, which I hope will provide it with the same boost of benificial fungi that would cause it to self-select decaying stumps. In imperfect conditions it will be stunted but still thrive at a foot-tall size. In moist conditions with plenty of decaying matter in the soil, it can grow to three feet tall & four feet wide over time.
Ours is still a youngster & relatively small at around fifteen inches. Some cultivars within this species are robust with moderate to rapid growth, but 'Jimmy Dyce' is notoriously slow. It is not growing at all summer or winter, & is slow to gain size spring & autumn.
Apart from slow growth & a serious dislike of heat (it cannot be grown in the south), it is extremely hardy & keeps its looks year-round. It likes moist humusy shade, but once established is surprisingly drought hardy.
The species is sufficiently toxic that deer rarely eat it. Yet spring's smallest fronds are regarded as edible if well enough cooked. Even though the fresh leaf contains thiaminase which damages the body's ability to process Vitamin B, small amounts are harmless, & thiaminase breaks down if the young leaves are boiled, baked, steamed, or fried. We've never tried it for flavor since the cultivars we have are ornamental, & I would expect such a tough-leafed cultivar as 'Jimmy Dyce' in particular to have an unpleasant texture no matter how prepared. The root for this species has also been regarded as edible in northern Europe, dug up in spring & baked, but the root is toxic if undercooked & I wouldn't recommend it.
As a medicinal plant the fresh or dried root contains felicic acid, due to which component the genus has been known from ancient times as a potent cure for tapeworms, having the capacity to paralyze the parasite so that afterward, with aid of a purgative, the worms can be expelled from the stomach. It's not the safest remedy & should not be tried at home, as overdose can cause paralaysis, blindness, or coma. The root steeped in water has more safely been used as a hair tonic & cure for dandruff.