| Description | Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata) is one of the more adaptable ferns to the interior of buildings. An old time favorite plant in cultivation since 1894. |
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| Pronunciation | (nef-roh-LEP-iss)(eks-all-TAY-tuh) |
| Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Ferns - Tropical |
| Hardiness Zone | tropical |
| Sunlight | bright, moderate, doesn't like to much hot direct sunlight |
| Moisture | evenly moist, likes better than average humidity |
| Growing Media | humusy, average house |
| Temperature | average house, warm |
| Flowers | Ferns are non-flowering plants. |
| Leaves | Fronds are green and simple pinnate. They grow erect and will cascade as their size increases. |
| Dimensions | If the growing site is to the plants liking, it can cascade up to 3'. Fills a pot up rapidly with small plants from the spreading rhizomes. |
| Maintenance | This is a messy plant constantly dropping little pieces of the frond. I find that an occasional trip to the outside and giving the plant a good shake will help to eliminate some of the plants frond litter. With time they will fill the pot and will need to be divided. I have had plants pushing rhizomes through the drainage hole and new plants have formed. They will also tolerate a heavy shearing, but the plant should be in an active growing stage to do this, preferably in the spring |
| Propagation | The easiest why is to divide off small plants that are formed at the end of rhizomes. |
| Native Site | The species plant N. exalata is from Florida to Brazil, South Asia, Africa and Australia |
| Cultivar Origin | The cultivar "Boston" originated in Boston, Mass in 1894. |
| Author's Notes | I have grown this plant as an indoor plant and out on the patio in a shaded spot during the summer. The ones growing on the patio become large quickly. |
| Notes & Reference | #23-Indoor Ferns (Roy Altman), #158-Plantepedia (Maggie Stuckey) |
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