NEPEXA-20260418-AC-001
Nephrolepis exaltata
Identity
Nephrolepis exaltata
Confidence: confirmed
Acquired as: —
Provisional taxon: —
Author citation: (L.) Schott
Status: ACTIVE
Type: MOTHER
Location: LOC-RM-04 · Office
Acquired: Apr 17, 2026
Propagated: —
Source: —
Stock: —
View lineage graphAliases
Boston fern · common name · confirmed
sword fern · common name · confirmed
Specimen photos
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Untitled photo
Not cover · Not type
Plant Health Timeline
A deterministic record of care, observations, blooms, documentation, and lineage activity for this specimen.
Timeline status
Recently active
Health trend
Healthy
Age in collection
67 days
Last observation
2 days
Last watering
2 days
Last photo
32 days
Last bloom
No data
Bloom cycles
0
Propagations produced
0
Unresolved issues
0
Watch items
0
Longest quiet period
32 days
Life Story listOpenHide
April 2026
May 2026
June 2026
Quarantine
Quarantine records are manual workflow records; moving a plant does not start or release quarantine by itself.
No active quarantine record.
Care
Last watering, open conditions, and recent care history.
Last watered
Jun 21, 2026
Next estimate
Jun 26, 2026
Open conditions
0
Recent care history
watered · Jun 21, 2026
watered · Jun 15, 2026
pest check · Jun 13, 2026
watered · Jun 9, 2026
watered · Jun 4, 2026
watered · May 29, 2026
pest check · May 22, 2026
No pests observed.
watered · May 22, 2026
Watered; drinks a lot.
Husbandry
Inherited from this plant definition.
Warm, humid, evenly moist fern; bright filtered light, airy acidic mix, and regular light feeding.
Full husbandry guideOpenHide
Full husbandry guide
Inherited from plant definition
Quick summary
- Water
- Keep evenly moist
- Light
- Bright indirect light
- Toxicity
- Generally regarded safe
- Care notes
- Warm, humid, evenly moist fern; bright filtered light, airy acidic mix, and regular light feeding.
Watering
- Cadence
- Water when the top 1-2 cm of mix just begins to dry; often 1-2 times per week indoors.
- Moisture level
- Consistently lightly moist; avoid full dry-out and waterlogging.
- Drought tolerance
- Low; fronds decline quickly if allowed to dry too much.
- Wet/dry cycle notes
- Use tepid water and soak thoroughly, then drain well; empty saucers promptly.
- Seasonal adjustments
- Reduce slightly in cool, low-light months; increase in warm, active growth.
Light
- Intensity
- Bright indirect light; tolerates medium light but grows best with stronger filtered light.
- Duration
- About 10-14 hours of bright ambient light; avoid direct midday sun.
Temperature and hardiness
- USDA zone
- USDA 9-11 outdoors; commonly grown as an indoor tropical.
- Cold tolerance
- Short exposure near 10-12 C possible, but sustained cool temps slow growth and may damage fronds.
- Heat tolerance
- Prefers 18-26 C; prolonged heat above 30 C stresses plants unless humidity is high.
- Frost sensitivity
- Highly frost-sensitive; frost will damage or kill foliage.
- Overwinter instructions
- Keep indoors above 15 C if possible, with bright light and reduced watering but never bone-dry.
Humidity
- Range
- 50-80% relative humidity preferred.
- Dry air tolerance
- Low to moderate; brown tips and leaflet drop increase in dry air.
- Misting notes
- Misting is only a short-term aid; use humidifiers, pebble trays, or grouped plants for steadier humidity.
Soil and medium
- Preferred medium
- Loose, moisture-retentive but airy peat/coco-based fern mix with bark or perlite.
- pH preference
- Slightly acidic, about pH 5.0-6.5.
- Drainage needs
- Excellent drainage with high water-holding capacity.
- Growth substrate habit
- Epiphytic/terrestrial fern habit with fine, fibrous roots.
- Substrate recipe notes
- A fern or African-violet-style mix amended with fine bark and perlite works well; avoid heavy garden soil.
Fertilization
- Type
- Balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer or fern fertilizer.
- Strength
- Use quarter to half strength.
- Frequency
- Every 2-4 weeks during active growth.
- Seasonal schedule
- Feed spring through early autumn; pause or reduce sharply in winter.
- Micronutrient notes
- Occasional micronutrient-containing feed can help prevent pale growth, but avoid salt buildup.
Repotting
- Interval
- Every 1-2 years, or when crowded and drying too fast.
- Pot type
- Wide pot or hanging basket with good drainage.
- Root sensitivity
- Moderate; roots are fine and should be handled gently.
- Dormancy consideration
- Best repotted in spring as growth resumes; avoid heavy disturbance in winter.
- Division guidance
- Divide large clumps carefully into sections with roots and crowns; replant immediately and keep humid.
Propagation
- Preferred methods
- Division of crowns/runners; spores in controlled conditions.
- Difficulty
- Easy by division; moderate to difficult from spores.
- Expected success
- Division is usually high success; spore propagation is slower and less reliable.
- Optimal timing
- Spring to early summer.
- Rooting hormone notes
- Hormone is usually unnecessary for division.
- Tissue culture notes
- Possible in commercial production; not usually needed for home or accession work.
Pests and disease
- Common pests
- Spider mites, scale, mealybugs, fungus gnats, and occasionally aphids.
- Common diseases
- Root rot, crown rot, leaf spot, and tip burn from dry air or salts.
- Treatment notes
- Improve airflow, isolate affected plants, wash pests off, and use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil as needed; avoid chronic soggy media.
- Susceptibility level
- Moderate; problems are usually cultural rather than highly disease-prone.
- Preventative practices
- Provide humidity, even moisture, clean foliage, fresh media, and avoid salt-heavy fertilizer.
Toxicity
- Pets
- Usually regarded as non-toxic, but ingestion may cause mild stomach upset in pets.
- Humans
- Generally considered low-risk; avoid ingestion and contact if sensitive.
- Sap irritant
- No notable sap irritancy commonly reported.
- Edible?
- Not considered edible.
Dormancy and blooms
- Dormancy behavior
- No true dormancy; growth slows in cooler, darker months.
- Typical bloom season
- Does not flower; reproduces by spores.
- Bloom duration
- Not applicable.
- Fragrance
- Not applicable.
- Rebloom tendency
- Not applicable.
- Bloom triggers
- Not applicable.
- Pollinator notes
- Not applicable.
Growth habit
- Growth habit
- Arching clumping fern with long pinnate fronds and trailing runners.
Conservation and collection status
- Rarity
- Common in cultivation.
- Conservation status
- Not generally listed as threatened globally; local status may vary.
- Reference links
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:172732-1 ; https://www.gbif.org/species/2684937
- Protected species notes
- Check local rules for wild collection if sourcing from native populations.
- Collection restrictions
- Usually none for nursery-propagated stock; avoid wild-collected material without permits.
- Import/export concerns
- May be subject to standard phytosanitary checks for soil and pests; verify destination rules.
- Invasiveness
- Can naturalize in warm, humid regions; monitor outdoors in frost-free climates.
- Native range notes
- Native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas; often epiphytic or on moist shaded sites.
Sport / mutation
Status: NONE
No sport observations yet.
Parents
No parent propagation recorded.
Children
No child propagations yet.
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Bloom tracker
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