sweet fern meaning and definition

SWEET FERN noun

Definition of sweet fern (noun)

1. mat-forming lithophytic or terrestrial fern with creeping rootstocks and large pinnatifid fronds found throughout North America and Europe and Africa and east Asia
   • synonyms: adder's fern, common polypody, golden maidenhair, golden polypody, Polypodium vulgare, wall fern
2. deciduous shrub of eastern North America with sweet scented fernlike leaves and tiny white flowers
   • synonyms: Comptonia asplenifolia, Comptonia peregrina