Polypodium hesperium

The western polypody is a small, hardy fern. It grows in crevices and on ledges of shaded rock across the mountains of western North America. It needs a cold winter, a cool summer and a medium that drains quickly, so it suits a rock garden better than an indoor pot.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows on rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It grows from a creeping rhizome wedged into rock crevices, on cliffs and in boulder fields in conifer forest and mountain terrain, usually in partial shade.

Recorded from near sea level to high mountains, median about 1,240 m.

British ColumbiaAlbertaWashingtonOregonCaliforniaIdahoMontanaWyomingUtahColoradoArizonaNew MexicoMexico NorthwestMexico Northeast

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.