Family: Gleicheniaceae

This genus of ferns is found in swampy, wet areas from Africa and tropical Asia to Australia and New Zealand. They have long, creeping, intertwined rhizomes and upright, forked fronds, the leaflets varying from pouched and rounded to coarse or delicate and flat.

Species

G. dicarpa, pouched coral tern, from eastern Australia and New Zealand, takes its common name from the pouched leaflets and the whole tern's similarity to coral in form. The much-divided, upright fronds produce an attractive, rather unusual pattern. This species is a valuable fern in the wild, preventing ero­sion in creek beds by building up soil patches and filtering the water.

G. microphylla, umbrella fern, is found throughout Australia and New Zealand. Similar in frond structure to G. dicarpa, it is a rather more delicate species, though still environmentally effective in its habitat.

Cultivation

These ferns are generally not available commercially. Propagation is generally by division of the rhizome, sometimes from spores. Keep the plants moist at all times, and feed occasionally with a liquid fertilizer. Species such as the dwarf G. dicarpa and the 3 m (10 ft) tall G. microphylla would need to be grown in a warm conservatory or greenhouse in cool and cold climates, if they are available.

Climate

Zone 10.