General Landscape Uses:
A delicate accent fern on exposed moist limestone in rock gardens and on the banks of water features such as natural pools. Identified by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this
brochure.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Limited to exposed moist limestone in rockland hammocks with constantly high humidity. The lowered water table in Miami-Dade County makes this a difficult species to incorporate into restoration projects.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Medium herbaceous fern with delicate leaflets (pinnae).
Dimensions: About 12-18 inches in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Miami-Dade County; disjunct in central and northern peninsular Florida; West Indies, Central America and Venezuela.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: On moist limestone in rockland hammocks.
Soils: Moist limestone rock, with or without an accumulation of humusy material.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist substrate and high humidity and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Light shade.
Flower Color: N/A.
Flower Characteristics: There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous spores.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from spores.
Comments: In the right situations, this rock-loving fern will recruit readily in the garden. It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida.
