Blechnum banksii

A tough, compact New Zealand coastal fern, with leathery, often reddish fronds. It grows on sea cliffs and rocks in the salt spray zone. It wants cool, humid, bright conditions and suits a cool shade house or a temperate garden much better than a warm terrarium.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It grows on coastal rocks, cliffs and banks, often among stones close to the sea, and copes with salt spray and wind. Records sit almost entirely at sea level.

Recorded from 0–860 m (median 10 m, 46 records), essentially a coastal plant.

New ZealandNorth IslandSouth IslandStewart IslandAuckland IslandsCampbell Island

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.