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Asplenium
Also called Spleenworts
Asplenium is a large genus of about 700 fern species, the spleenworts, grown in gardens and as houseplants. Most commonly grown members like the bird's-nest fern need humidity, indirect light and consistently moist but not soggy soil.
Asplenium is a genus of about 700 species of ferns, often treated as the only genus in the family Aspleniaceae, though other authors consider Hymenasplenium separate, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, a different chromosome count, and structural differences in the rhizomes. The type species for the genus is Asplenium marinum.
The most common vernacular name is spleenworts, applied to the more "typical" species. A. nidus and several similar species are called bird's-nest ferns, the Camptosorus group is known as walking ferns, and distinct names are applied to some other particularly well-known species.
Both the scientific name and the common name "spleenwort" are derived from an old belief, based on the doctrine of signatures, that the fern was useful for ailments of the spleen, due to the spleen-shaped sori on the backs of the fronds. "-wort" is an ancient English term that simply means "plant" (compare German -wurz). The plants were thought to cause infertility in women.
Bird’s Nest Fern · Hen And Chickens · Scott's Spleenwort · Spleenwort · Singlesorus spleenwort · Hawai'I birdnest fern · Hart's tonguefern · Maidenhair Spleenwort
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asplenium 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.
