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Species library › Pteris › Pteris cretica
Ferns Well documented

Pteris cretica

The Cretan brake, a tough and very widespread fern of shaded rocks, walls, ravines and stream banks from the Mediterranean through Africa to East Asia. It is an easy, adaptable plant that wants shade, a moist but well-drained root zone and moderate humidity, and it tolerates cool winters better than most house ferns.

Pteris cretica
Photo: naturewatchwidow, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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
No rest periodGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in shady, damp places: crevices of rocks and walls, stream banks, ravines and forest margins, often on limestone. Based on the measured range and what is known for the species.

Recorded at 10–3075 m, median 411 m; the highest records are from the Himalaya and East Africa.

Southern EuropeCaucasus and TürkiyeTropical and southern AfricaMadagascar and Indian Ocean islandsHimalaya and IndiaChina, Taiwan and IndochinaJapan and Korea

🔒 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

Grow Pteris cretica? Add it to a free garden and its full profile opens. Pro opens all 38,374 profiles in the library, plants and fungi.

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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 4.0 licence, unmodified.