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Species library β€Ί Nephrolepis β€Ί Nephrolepis flexuosa
Ferns Well documented

Nephrolepis flexuosa

A drooping sword fern of the southwest Pacific that reaches its southern limit in the geothermal fields of New Zealand's North Island, where warm ground lets it survive a cool climate. It is rated At Risk – Naturally Uncommon in New Zealand and is rarely sold.

Nephrolepis flexuosa
Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry
Light Bright, filtered lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Abundant in coastal forest and scrub on Raoul Island (Kermadecs); in mainland New Zealand it is confined to geothermal areas from Kawerau to Lake Taupō, where steam and warm soil create a frost-free, humid microclimate. Short erect rhizomes carry long, narrow fronds up to about 1 m that droop with age.

Recorded from about 20 to 1050 m, median about 380 m; the high New Zealand sites are geothermal.

New Zealand (North Island)Kermadec IslandsNorfolk IslandFijiSamoaVanuatu

πŸ”’ Growing it like that

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

βœ“ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates
βœ“ Humidity band, and how to hold it
βœ“ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light
βœ“ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it
βœ“ Substrate and airflow
βœ“ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Nephrolepis

Nephrolepis exaltata Nephrolepis cordifolia Nephrolepis biserrata Nephrolepis brownii Nephrolepis obliterata Nephrolepis abrupta Nephrolepis acutifolia Nephrolepis arida Nephrolepis averyi Nephrolepis cocosensis Nephrolepis copelandii Nephrolepis davalliae All 39 β†’

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-SA 4.0 licence, unmodified.