Strictly speaking, the room fern is not really a specific plant species, but rather the generic term for all types of ferns usually cultivated as house plants. Many of these types of ferns can be easily identified based on their decorative fronds, while other varieties are similar in their visual appearance.

The staghorn fern is a popular indoor fern

The common cultural needs of all house fern species

Since ferns do not like to be in direct sunlight and also prefer a high level of humidity, the bathroom is usually an ideal location for many indoor ferns. In general, indoor ferns should only be watered with water that is very low in lime. In particular, the types of tree ferns such as the staghorn fern can be cultivated as attractive traffic light plants at dizzy heights. The optically decorative traffic light planting is also recommended for the relatively poisonous types of ferns, so that the leaves cannot be accidentally eaten by pets or small children.

The antler fern

The staghorn ferns (Platycerium) are counted to the family of the spotted ferns. These ferns, which are equipped with particularly characteristically shaped fronds, occur naturally in the tropical zones of the following distribution areas:

  • Africa
  • South America
  • South East Asia
  • New Guinea
  • Australia

With their compact growth and a maximum size of about 50 cm, the plants are very suitable for indoor cultivation. Antler ferns grow epiphytically and usually hold on to a tree trunk or branch with so-called shield leaves. Indoors, the staghorn ferns, which are relatively easy to care for as indoor ferns, can be cultivated well on rough pieces of bark in a hanging basket (€11.99) filled with peat.

The Deer Tongue Fern

Like the staghorn fern, the stag's tongue fern is largely easy to care for. It is easily identified by its lanceolate leaves with their shiny surface. In this type of fern, the fronds initially grow more upright before bending downwards as they grow in size. The scaly, light brown rhizome of the deer tongue farm is usually visibly protruding from the substrate.

The nest fern

Although the nest fern forms elongated, lanceolate leaves similar to the stag's tongue farm, these are not targeted in contrast to the leaves of the stag's tongue fern, but rather grow "nest-shaped" directly from the base of the plant. The plant, which grows without side shoots, grows over years as a single rosette (hence the name "nest fern") and forms leaves up to 1 m long and about 20 cm wide.

tips

The different types of indoor ferns differ not only in the shape of their fronds, but also in their size growth. So be sure to keep this factor in mind when choosing a fern species for a specific location in the home.

Category:

Indoor plants