Polypodium vulgare

The common polypody, a hardy evergreen fern of mossy rocks, walls and tree trunks across Europe and temperate Asia. It creeps through moss and thin humus, stays green through mild winters and needs cool, moist, shaded conditions rather than warmth.

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

Grows on mossy rocks, old walls, banks and the trunks and branches of trees in damp woodland, rooting in moss and leaf litter rather than deep soil.

From near sea level to about 1,800 m; the climate sites lie in British and Scandinavian lowlands around 130–200 m.

EuropeMacaronesiaNorth AfricaWestern AsiaCaucasusSiberiaCentral AsiaEast Asia

🔒 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.