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Asplenium bulbiferum
Also called Mother Fern, Mother Spleenwort
Hen and Chickens is a fern, Asplenium bulbiferum, native to New Zealand that forms small plantlets (bulbils) on its fronds, which drop off and root to make new plants. It is grown for its lacy foliage and thrives in shade to partial sun, with moist soil and humid conditions.
Asplenium bulbiferum, known as mother spleenwort, is a species of fern endemic to New Zealand. It is also called hen and chicken fern and, in the Māori language, pikopiko, mouku or mauku. Its fronds are eaten as a vegetable.
It grows small bulbils on top of its fronds. Once grown to about 5 cm (2.0 in), these offspring fall off and, provided the soil they land in is kept moist, develop a root system and grow into new ferns. This additional means of reproduction can be employed with greater ease than propagation by spores. There are a number of similar Southern Hemisphere species which have a similar mode of reproduction, including Asplenium daucifolium.
Bird’s Nest Fern · Scott's Spleenwort · Spleenwort · Singlesorus spleenwort · Hawai'I birdnest fern · Hart's tonguefern · Maidenhair Spleenwort · Spleenwort
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asplenium bulbiferum 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.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
