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Nephrolepis exaltata
Also called Sword Fern, Boston Fern, Boston Sword Fern, Fishbone Fern, Niʻaniʻau, Southern Sword Fern
Boston sword fern is a popular evergreen houseplant, usually grown in hanging baskets, that thrives in humid, shaded conditions. It needs consistently moist (not soggy) rich soil and regular misting when indoor humidity is low.
Nephrolepis exaltata, known as the sword fern or Boston fern, is a species of fern in the family Nephrolepidaceae. It is native to the Americas. This evergreen plant can reach as high as 40–90 centimetres (16–35 in), and in extreme cases up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). It is also known as the Boston sword fern, wild Boston fern, Boston blue bell fern, tuber ladder fern, or fishbone fern.
Nephrolepis exaltata is a very popular house plant, often grown in hanging baskets or similar conditions. It is a perennial plant hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 9–11. Although the fern may appear totally dead during periods of frost, it will re-emerge in the spring. In general, the Boston fern thrives in damp, but not soggy, soil that is rich in nutrients. Of the common cultivated ferns, the Boston fern is the most tolerant to drought. The fern is acclimated to humid conditions, so when grown as a house plant, it is necessary to mist the plant when relative humidity falls below around 80%. Although the plant prefers partial shade or full shade outdoors, it doesn't grow in shade when indoors and responds best to bright filtered light. The plant is usually propagated by division of the rooted runners, as named cultivars will not produce true spores. It is safe for pets as it is known to be non-toxic.
The fern is common in humid forests and swamps, especially in northern South America, Mexico, Central America, Florida, the West Indies, Polynesia and Africa. N. exaltata thrives in moist, shady locations and is found frequently in swamps and floodplains. The plant can grow both terrestrially and as an epiphyte. It grows epiphytically on the Sabal palmetto.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Nephrolepis exaltata 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.
