Polypodium virginianum

The rock polypody, a small evergreen fern that forms mats on mossy boulders, cliffs and ledges in forests across eastern North America. It is fully hardy and needs a cold winter. It does best outdoors on shaded rock or in a trough, not as a houseplant.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets 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 rock (lithophyte)

Where it grows wild

It forms mats on moss-covered boulders, rock ledges and cliffs in deciduous and mixed forest. It grows on many rock types and sometimes on logs or tree bases.

Recorded from near sea level to about 1280 m, median 224 m.

Eastern USAEastern CanadaGreenland

🔒 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.