Identification: Please help ID (fern?) : pics added

Hello,

I recently acquired what I believe to be a fern. It is young (no taller than 6"). Strong green, heart-shaped leaves almost like young syngonium in shape. Stiff black stems that are very wiry with a small amount of hair. Leaves (fronds?) are also thin with an almost cardboard texture with little flex in them.

Thank you for your help!

edit:pics added

 

Re: New Fern?

Welcome verdekaleb. Yes, a pic will definitely be needed please!

 

Re: New Fern-pics added

Hope those help.

 

A few of us tried to grow that one in our offices here this summer. One is still alive, but not looking good. It is Hemionitis (arifolia, I believe). Hopefully you will do better with your plant, than I did with mine. I think you may need to keep it in a highly humid environment. And, yes it is a fern.

 

Thanks Eric, that's definitely it. I'll work on setting it up in a healthy manner, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

I bought one of these Hemionitis arifolia this year when it was warm and sunny here, must have been a month ago, in March, at the UBCBG Shop in the Garden. It only said Heart Leaf Fern; I had to look up the botanical name when I got it home, then read about how hard it is to grow and how many bugs are fond of it. It is in a bright room about four meters from a southwest-facing window, with other plants to the window-side of it shielding it from direct sun. I'm providing humidity by keeping it in the neighbourhood of those other plants, one of which has mealy bugs kept somewhat in check, so my fingers are crossed about that. I was being careful to not overwater it, but missed the cue that it was getting too dry, and in one day, all the leaves crisped up. There was one totally green leaf, and about five only half-crisped ones, so I kept those and cut off everything else. Now some new leaves are coming, I have two totally green original leaves (not sure how the second one fleshed back out), and on a half-crisped leaf, a small plantlet has started to grow. I hadn't come across that when I read about it before. I am tentatively excited.

 

I came across this while I'm looking for something else. My plant eventually died, maybe a few months later. For some reason, I have now bought a new one - they seem to show up in the shops in the spring. The plants with the mealy bugs are gone now (only one remains but in a different spot), so there is less humidity around. I had forgotten about that requirement.

 

As I recall, this plant showed up in the stores earlier in the year, no doubt intended to become Valentine's Day purchases, taking advantage of the plant's heart-shaped leaves.

 

Douglas Justice grew one in his office in a terrarium and it did very well in there for a few years. I think it died when removed from the enclosed space.

 

Ah, poor thing. I will treat mine as a place-holder. It's in the pot, now jardinière, where I had one of the two mealy-bug harbouring plants. Maybe by the time it crisps up I'll have decided what I really want to grow there.

 

Well, it's been fun so far. I have figured out that the tall fronds with the the dark undersides are fertile fronds. I also have just read that I need to not overwater this, but it seems a very fine line, as it's so easy to dry it out so quickly.