Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas fern - this easy to establish evergreen fern can grow to be 3 feet tall and just as wide. It is best grown in rich, dry to medium moisture soils in part shade to full shade. It is a clumping fern that spreads by spores, not spreading by runners the way some ferns do.   This fern can conserve soil and allay erosion of steep slopes. The fronds are semi-erect until the first killing frost, after which they lie prostrate on the ground and effectively hold in place the duff layer of the forest floor, enabling the gradual decomposition of the duff into humus, which in turn builds the soil.
 
Native to nearly every county in the state. Click to view its range in North Carolina.
 
More info here