Asplenium rhizophyllum or Camptosorus rhizophyllus, don't know which is currently "more correct".
This is an interesting US east coast native that I have never seen offered for sale or growing wild or cultivated. It is a nice small fern that produces new plantlets at the tips of the leaves where they touch the soil.
http://www.missouriplants.com/Ferns/Asplenium_rhizophyllum_page.html
Robert.
Anyone ever grow "Walking Fern"?
I have grown Woodwardia sp. and it also 'walks'. It is a large, spreading fern, so if watered well, it can form a large 'field' of ferns in 3-4 years. Everywhere the tip of the fern touches the ground, a new fernlet grows. You can cut the branch off near the tip and dig up that fernlet and before you know it you can have a bunch of nice, large potted ferns, or plant them wherever you want etc.
I've grown it, but only indoors. As an indoor plant, it's very easy to grow (your basic bright indirect light, keep moistish kind of fern) until you get scale on it. Then, as with so many other indoor ferns, you're pretty much SOL unless you've either got all day to squish the things or are willing to be pretty aggressive with the pesticides... outdoor, I wouldn't imagine that'd be too much of a problem.
BTW, Asplenium rhizophyllum is the current name. Unless you just like having more genera for the sake of having more genera, I can't figure out why anyone thought it made any sense to split Camptosorus out...
Patrick Alexander
This message was edited Jun 24, 2006 6:13 PM
I like the foliage of the Asplenium. Reminds me of a Hart's Tongue Fern.
I think the bulb or "live birth" ferns are interesting too, but again, I've never seen one. Only in pictures.
Hi Robert,
I did grow the walking fern successfully in a terrarium. Until it got scale!
I tried twice to grow it outdoors, but it eventually died each time. Now I just admire it growing on the mossy boulders along streams in it's native setting.
BTW, I am sending you a D-Mail.
Toxi