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Species library › Nephrolepis › Nephrolepis pectinata
Ferns Partly documented

Nephrolepis pectinata

Nephrolepis pectinata is a widespread Neotropical sword fern with narrow fronds of small, comb-like pinnae, found from Mexico and the Caribbean to Bolivia and Brazil. Most records come from mid-elevation wet forest around 1000 m, so it does best warm by day with cooler nights and high humidity.

Nephrolepis pectinata
Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
At home, aim for
Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry
Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry
Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry
Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
No rest periodGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Wet lowland to montane forest, growing on trunks, palms and rocks and on banks; habitat is generalised from the genus as no species notes were reachable.

Recorded from 0 to 3600 m, median about 1085 m from 550 records.

MexicoGuatemalaHondurasCosta RicaPanamaCubaJamaicaHispaniolaColombiaVenezuelaGuyanaEcuadorGalápagosPeruBoliviaBrazil

🔒 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 CC0 licence, unmodified.