Got this at a local garden centre & it was labeled '7" fern', no details at all! Any ideas of what it is? It's quite delicate, so I don't think it's evergreen. The fronds are bunchy, with curls/crinkles. Any ideas/information would be helpful. Thanks! Wendy
Nephrolepis exaltata 'Fluffy Ruffles' I believe. http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week226.shtml HTH Chris
Thanks! Is 'fluffy ruffles' hardy for outdoor, Vancouver BC? Most of the info on the sites I've found so far seem to describe it as a houseplant@
In ten years of fern shopping I've never seen any of the hardy fern suppliers around here carry nephrolepsis, and I'm guessing it's because it's not hardy in winter wet conditions, if at all. The supplier I think this is from - the labelling sounds familiar - usually deals in non-hardy ferns, I believe. The area of the garden centre in which you purchased it will also give you some hint - that is to say, was it in the tropical/indoor section?
Hi KarinL, I got it at Rona, Grandview Highway, in Vancouver, BC. I found it in a small cluster of 1 gallon ferns under one of the tables, across from the clematis in their outdoor greenhouse. The ferns were were a real bargain @ $7.00 each, and labeled with a Burnaby Lake Greenhouses UPC sticker no stick or other label of any kind. Including what I now think is the fluffly ruffles, I bought 2 other no-name ferns at the same time (I have a lot of shade). After a bunch of Internet searching, I think sorted out their names: Maidenhair Fern, Adiantum pedatum Dryopteris erythrosora I also got a third fern, labelled as a Polystichum setiferum `Plumoso-Densum`, Plumosomultilobum, not apparrently from Burnaby Lake Greenhouses, which appears to be correct. Sidebar: has anyone found this to be evergreen in Vancouver as some sites claim? Thanks!
I've grown all three of those, and D. erythrosora and the Polystichum are both evergreen, to the degree that ferns are. That is to say, the fronds are visible all year, but they don't always look so hot, and they are replaced by new fronds. You may want to cut them off so you can enjoy the new fronds' arrival; I certainly do so. Those Burnaby Lake Greenhouse fern labels are a scam as far as I'm concerned. I wish there were some disclosure required on plants.
I have another fern, I *think* it's some type of holly fern, but I'm not sure. It's evergreen & looks fabulous all winter! Thick & leathery, new frond fiddleheads are a purplish red, has gotten lovely & bushy. Any help ID'ing this fern would be great. Even better, lines on where I can buy more in/around Vancouver. I love this fern...
I'm thinking it might be Dryopteris erythrosora? Compare it with the one you've just bought. Ferns can be divided too if you've had this for some time it probably has lots of crowns.
Thanks KarinL, The one I just bought, Dryopteris erythrosora, has more yellowish orange new growth, with smooth fronds. The one I think is some sort of holly fern has a lot more texture, is thicker with more purplish new growth. I'm thinking of heading down to David Hunter with a frond & see if they can ID it. I was there today & they had 1 Polystichum setiferum `Plumoso-Densum`, Plumosomultilobum (Sword fern) as well.
The sword fern is actually Polystichum munitum :-) - the other doesn't have a convenient common name (I just call mine Fluffy). As for what your other fern is, you might have two different cultivars of the Autumn Fern, or might be comparing a young plant with an older one. There are certainly others that have red emerging fronds, but they are quite rare and I would be surprised to see them in local nurseries - Dryopteris purpurella, Dryopteris hondoensis, Woodwardia unigemmata for example. There aren't any Polystichums (holly ferns) that emerge red as far as I know. Compare the undersides of your new and established ferns to see if the sori look alike. ("erythrosora" = red sori, I think).
