Bird’s-nest fern, Wild birdnest fern
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Asplenium serratum
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Aspleniaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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A rare epiphytic or terrestrial fern in hammocks and swamps. Requires constant moisture and high humidity. |
Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
Description: |
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Medium epiphytic or terrestrial herbaceous fern. |
Height: |
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About 2-3 feet in height. About as broad as tall. |
Growth Rate: |
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Slow. |
Range: |
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Miami-Dade County north to Broward and Lee counties; also collected once in Volusia County; West Indies, Central America and South America. Rare in northern Miami-Dade and Broward counties. In Broward County, know only from Fern Forest Nature Center. |
Habitats: |
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Moist to wet hammocks and swamps. |
Soils: |
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Epiphytic, or terrestrial in moist, well-drained humusy leaf litter, acid to neutral pH. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate; can grow on nutrient poor substrate, but needs some nutrient inputs to thrive. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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Low; requires moist substrate and high humidity and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
Light Requirements: |
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Light shade. |
Flower Color: |
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N/A. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores. |
Flowering Season: |
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All year. |
Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous spores. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from spores. |
Comments: |
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It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000). |
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