The toothed wood fern is native to northern Europe and north America where it is found in woodlands and other moist sandy environments such as stream banks and forested bogs. The fern's name is derived from the toothed edges of each leaf which are complex but pretty in appearance. In the warmer parts of its range it is evergreen, but is deciduous in the colder areas. It grows to about 3 feet high and wide, but is relatively sparse with only a few fronds mostly.