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Gymnosphaera denticulata

Gymnosphaera denticulata
Photo: Jacy Chen, CC BY 4.0

A small tree fern from East Asia with a short or prostrate trunk and fronds up to 1.5 m long. It is still very rare in cultivation and does best in rich humus, sheltered, with steady moisture.

Family
Cyatheaceae (Cyathe family)
Grows as
Tree, Fern
Light
Part shade, Shade
Water
Water well and keep the supply of moisture consistent.
Soil
Rich humus-based mix.
Temperature
Tolerates light frosts only; protect from cold, roughly 10 °C and below.
How easy
Hard
Native range
S. China to Hainan, S. Japan to Taiwan
Climate
subtropical

About

Gymnosphaera denticulata, synonyms Alsophila acaulis, Alsophila denticulata and Cyathea hancockii, is a species of tree fern native to Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, southern China, Hong Kong, and Hainan. It grows in forest, on stream banks, and in forest margins at an elevation of about 600 m or higher. The specific epithet hancockii commemorates William Hancock (1847-1914), who collected numerous plants in Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

How to grow it

Gymnosphaera denticulata has entered cultivation although it is still very rare. This species may survive light frosts, but should ideally be grown in rich humus and under shelter. Plants need to be watered well and provided with a consistent supply moisture.

Other Gymnosphaera plants

Gymnosphaera capensis · Gymnosphaera

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Gymnosphaera denticulata 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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