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Flower Index Index by Family Set 1 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 Set 6

Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis' | Boston Fern, Sword Fern

Nephrolepidaceae (Fern Family) Pronounced Neh-frow-leh-pi-day-see-eye

Pronounced Nee-FRAHL-lepp-pis Ech-sahl-TAY-TUH

The Boston Fern was discovered in a shipment from a Philadelphia grown to a Boston distributor.

The name "nephrolepis" is from Greek words "nephros" meaning "kidney" and "lepis" meaning "scale." Uh? Kidney scales?

The name "exaltata" means "very tall or lofty."

There are about 30 species of Nephrolepis in the Nephrolepidaceae family and Nephrolepsis is the only genus in that family!

The Polypodiaceae Family is a Fern Family with the most species.

The Davallia Family is another Fern family with about 40 species.

Ferns have fronds! That's just fun to say! A frond is a large, divided leaf and some botanists restrict the use of the word to ferns, although it applies to palms as well.

There are no flowers.

The leaves emerge from the soil and not on a stem. The leaves are serrated and undulate (go with a up-and-down motion) in a wavy pattern.

The plant likes indirect sunlight, which is why they are great for porches and patios.

Boston Ferns can be grown indoors, but every time I take mine indoors from the patio outside for the Winter, it begins shedding what I have come to call "fern poop!"

Also, Boston Ferns do appreciate humidity, which we keep low in the house, but is probably why they thrive outdoors in the "humidiheat" of Missouri. I believe the "fern poop" is the shedding of fronds when the plant does not stay wet enough.

Maybe the best place for the fern indoors is the bathroom. I read a suggestion to set them in a base of wet pebbles to help. Watering twice a week helps indoors, as well as misting in between. I really do not want to work that hard to grow a fern indoors!

The plant can be cut back to about 2 inches and it will regrow.

2024