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Species library › Polypodium › Polypodium colpodes
Ferns Partly documented

Polypodium colpodes

A widespread Mesoamerican polypody that grows mostly as an epiphyte on trees, and sometimes on rocks, in seasonally dry to moist forests from western Mexico to Venezuela. It expects a wet summer and a pronounced dry winter, when the fronds may curl up or shed, so it is easier than humid-forest ferns if given a dry rest.

Polypodium colpodes
Photo: Lowe, E. J., Public domain, 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 Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry
Expects a seasonal restGrows on trees (epiphyte)

Where it grows wild

Recorded across a broad range of forests, from tropical dry and semi-deciduous forest to oak and pine-oak woodland and lower montane forest. Like related Mexican Polypodium it typically roots in moss and humus on trunks and branches, occasionally on rock.

Recorded from near sea level to 3,100 m, median about 1,200 m; most records lie between about 500 and 2,000 m.

MexicoGuatemalaEl SalvadorHondurasNicaraguaCosta RicaPanamaColombiaVenezuela

🔒 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 Public domain licence, unmodified.