| Description | Variegated Cretan Brake Fern (Pteris cretica var albolineata) is a tropical to subtropical fern forming a white arching mound of bi-colored green fronds with creamy white centers. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (TAIR-iss)(KRET-ih-kuh)(al-bo-lin-ee-AH-tuh) |
| Plant Type | Indoor Foliage, Ferns - Tropical |
| Hardiness Zone | (8)9-12 |
| Sunlight | filtered/partial sun, partial shade, shade |
| Moisture | moist, humid, tolerates a bit of dryness |
| Soil & Site | well drained richly organic humus soil |
| Growing Media | richly organic |
| Temperature | Will tolerate cool rooms in the house. Not tolerant of frost. |
| Flowers | Ferns are non-flowering plants. |
| Fruit | They produce sori in lines at the margins, on the underside of the frond. The spores are produced in the sori. |
| Leaves | The evergreen fronds have creamy white centers and green margins. |
| Stems | Produces short creeping rhizomes. |
| Dimensions | 1-2 by 1-2 feet (HS) upright, clumping habit. |
| Maintenance | Fronds may be cut back to the base to rejuvenate plants. |
| Propagation | division |
| Native Site | Found growing in subtropical and tropical areas world wide. |
| Cultivar Origin | Probably occurred as a natural mutation or horticultural selection within the parent species; I could not find a single document listing the originator or creator. |
| Misc Facts | Pteris is derived from the Greek word for fern, while cretica refers to its connection to Crete. |
| Author's Notes | I have grown this plant and seen it many times. They always look like the ones I have included in the images. But if you Google this plant, you'll find plants with wider, shorter pinnae (divisions of a frond) and wider green margins. A botanical conundrum! |
| Notes & Reference | #23-Indoor Ferns (Boy Altman), #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens website (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org), #228-Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns (Sue Olsen), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing Brake Ferns |
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