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Byfield fern

Bowenia serrulata

Also called Butchers Fern

Byfield fern
Photo: PeregrinusX - myself, CC BY-SA 3.0

Byfield fern is a cycad, not a true fern, with fern-like bipinnate fronds rising from an underground caudex. It is native to northern and northeastern Queensland and grows best in warm, humid, frost-free conditions with dappled light and well-drained soil.

Family
Zamiaceae (Cycad family)
Grows as
Fern
Light
Part shade, Bright indirect
Water
Water regularly in the growing season and let the top few centimetres of soil dry out between waterings; reduce in winter.
Soil
Free-draining, humus-rich mix with some sand or grit.
Temperature
18–32 °C; protect below 5 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Native range
N. & NE. Queensland
Climate
wet tropical

About

Bowenia serrulata, the Byfield fern, is a cycad in the family Stangeriaceae. Its bipinnate fronds, arising from a subterranean caudex, give it the appearance of a fern. However it is not a fern as its vernacular name and appearance suggest. It is endemic to the vicinity of Byfield, Australia.

Other Bowenia plants

Zamia fern · Bowenia

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bowenia serrulata 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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