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Woodwardia radicans
Also called Chain Fern, European Chain Fern, Rooting Chain Fern
Rooting chainfern is an evergreen fern with arching fronds up to about 1.8 m tall, native to Macaronesia and southwestern Europe. It is grown for its foliage and needs shelter from frost and a moist, shaded spot.
Woodwardia radicans, the chain fern, European chain fern or rooting chainfern, is a species of fern in the family Blechnaceae, mainly found in Macaronesia and southwestern Europe, but is also found in southern Italy and Crete. Growing to 1.8 m (6 ft) tall by 2 m (7 ft) broad, it is evergreen with arching fronds. The pinnae have curved, finely-toothed segments. The plant derives its common name from the linked sori on the undersides of the fronds.
The specific epithet radicans means "with stems that take root", referring to rooting plantlets appearing at the tips of the fronds.
Giant chainfern · Woodwardia prolifera · Jewelled Chain Fern · Chainfern
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Woodwardia radicans 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.
