Nephrolepsis cordifolia
Sword Fern
Sword Fern
Wikipedia links: Monilophytes > Polypodiales > Lomariopsidaceae > Nephrolepis cordifolia
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Common name: Sword Fern
Also, fishbone fern, tuberous sword fern, tuber ladder fern, erect sword fern, narrow sword fern and ladder fern, and herringbone fern
In the Hawaiian Islands, it is known as kupukupu, okupukupu or ni'ani'au
Conservation status: ...
Etymology:
Genus derived from the Greek nephros, kidney, and lepis, scale, in reference to the kidney-shaped indusia (sori covering)
Specific epithet from the Latin cordi- (heart-shaped) and folium (leaf), a reference to the auricled (resembling an ear) bases of the pinnae
Spores:
The sori are rounded
The spores are warty, wrinkled
Leaves:
The pinnate fronds are erect and pinnate linear to lanceolate, glandular and simple.
The rachis bears bicolored chaff scales
The petiole is covered with bicolored pale and dark brown scales
The leaflets are entire, sessile and elongate-lanceolate
They grow up to 4.8 centimeters long and up to 0.9 cm wide
They stand at a distance of less than 1 cm
Stem & branches:
It is an evergreen fern that grows to between 40 and 80 cm
In extreme cases up to 1 meter
Roots:
It forms an underground rhizome in the form of several small tubers
Habit:
An evergreen fern, usually < 80 cm
They can establish themselves terrestrially, or as an epiphyte or lithophyte, provided that the location has ideal moisture and light levels
Habitat:
In adequate conditions, these ferns grow readily as epiphytes, typically adhering to the bark of tree branches above a water source, where they can receive round-the-clock humidity and airflow
They can be found in a multitude of environments, from deep swamps and riverbanks to rugged outcrops and rock faces, as well as roadsides, ditches, creeks, fallen trees, and even abandoned buildings and ruins
They love moist, shady locations; in their natural range, they are usually found in swamps (as an epiphyte) or along brooks and ditches of coniferous forest floodplains (growing more terrestrially)
Distribution:
Native to the global tropics, including northeastern Australia and Asia
Originally native to north-eastern Australia and the foothills of the Himalayas
It is considered naturalised on the central east coast of NSW
Non-native distribution:
It has been introduced into Bermuda, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and the United States
It is widely cultivated and distributed by humans, currently found in tropical regions of North, Central and South America (mainly in Mexico, the Caribbean, plus parts of California and Florida), in Africa, Southeast Asia, various South Pacific islands and on the Azores
Additional notes:
It is similar to the related fern Nephrolepis exaltata
Invasive species
It has become an invasive species is some areas where it has been introduced
In New Zealand it is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord, which prohibits the sale, cultivation and distribution of the plant
It is listed as an invasive species in Florida, United States
Sources of information: