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Mauritius Tree Fern

Alsophila borbonica

Mauritius Tree Fern
Photo: Dunog, Public domain

Alsophila borbonica is a tree fern from Mauritius and Réunion that grows to about 2 m, with a dark, hairy trunk and large bipinnate fronds. It needs humid, shaded, frost-free conditions and steady moisture to thrive.

Family
Cyatheaceae (Cyathe family)
Grows as
Tree, Fern
Light
Part shade, Shade
Water
Keep the root zone consistently moist and mist the fronds regularly, but never let it sit waterlogged.
Soil
Rich, humus-heavy, free-draining potting mix or forest-floor soil kept evenly moist.
Temperature
18–28 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Native range
Madagascar, Mascarenes
Climate
wet tropical

About

Alsophila borbonica, synonym Cyathea borbonica, is a tree fern endemic to Mauritius and Réunion. There are several natural forms and varieties.

Other Alsophila plants

Alsophila abbottii · Alsophila acanthophora · Alsophila acuminata · Alsophila alderwereltii · Alsophila alleniae · Alsophila alpina · Alsophila amboinensis · Alsophila aneitensis · Alsophila apiculata · Alsophila apoensis · Rough tree fern · Alsophila balanocarpa

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Alsophila borbonica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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