Hemionitis arifolia
require a plant that makes a big statement without a heavy footprint ? Then the sum fern is the pteridophyte for you .
Taking up less than a three-dimensional invertebrate foot of infinite at adulthood with calendered , bosom - shaped leaves , Hemionitis arifoliais an unusual yet stunning specimen .
hail from tropical regions of Southeast Asia , this evergreen plant has been used historically to treat diabetes and sure type of cancer in its native range . A fun piece of trivia for anyone who inquire about it , would n’t you agree ?
Photo via Alamy.
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Whether you ’re acquiring this beauty for yourself , or for someone else as a not - so - elusive announcement of wild-eyed feelings , the heart fern is an awesome plant to add to your assembling .
Plus , its cordate foliage is so striking that it would make an Eastern redbud covetous .
Read on to unlock this works ’s cultivation secret for yourself ! Here ’s what ’s come , up ahead :
What You’ll Learn
Cultivation and History
Along with its decorative uses , this plant has also been cultivated for functional determination . In percentage of Asia , H. arifoliahas been used to treat certain types of cancer and diabetes .
In fauna trials , inwardness fern extracts actually lower the descent glucose levels of pelf - fed rotter ! Whether or not this has literal clinical significance in humans remains to be witness , despite year of Asian folklore backing up its efficacy .
Like a neonate ’s indecisive parent , the first someone to describeH. arifoliacouldn’t settle on a single name for a while .
Carl Linnaeus , a Swedish plant scientist who formalized binomial nomenclature for naming organism , first described this species in 1753 asAcrostichumaureum . In the old age to arrive , this name was replaced many times .
The plant life eventually received the nameHemionitis arifoliain 1859 from Thomas Moore , a renowned pteridophyte botanist from the British Isles .
He name it during the Pteridomania – or Fern - Fever – full stop of the Victorian earned run average , a time of great fern obsession when everyone was collecting fern and decorating thing with fronded patterns .
hearsay that fern collecting showcased intelligence and increased manfulness only bestow to the hype , and Victorians of all societal classes get to be avid collectors .
Because these plants were believed to be sterile , Hemionitiscame from the Grecian terminus for “ mule ” ( hemionos ) , another sterile species . The termarifoliawas selected because of this plant ’s similar leaf condition to extremity of theArumgenus of plant .
DespiteH. arifoliabeing the standardized name nowadays , A. aureumis also accepted as a synonymous name for the heart fern .
Propagation
fern do n’t regurgitate via seeds , but by producing spores . The heart fern is no elision . If you want to propagate anH. arifolia , then you ’ve set about two options : growing from spore , or division .
From Spores
If you ’re up for a challenge , then growing spore is for you .
First , you ’ll call for a six - column inch pot with drainage holes at the bottom . sate the wad with a soilless culture medium that offers an even admixture of aeration and water retention . Your typical “ houseplant ” commixture will do alright here .
Next , you ’ll want to remove a mature leaf or two when their undersides start to sport browned and crispy spore .
Keep these leave in a charge card baggie at room temperature until they dry and drop the spores . Take the dropped spore and sprinkle them over the control surface of the potting mixture .
you may also withdraw the spore manually with your hand . If they ’re too small to be removed by script , you’re able to lie down the leafage spores - down over the potting medium and permit the spore to go down in as they course throw from the frond .
Throughout this whole process , keep the ground moist via becloud and cover the heap with plastic .
It ’s important to keep the fronds dry , so remove the fronds when you mist if you ’re letting soberness do the sowing for you . When the majority of the spores drop down from the frond , said fronds can be discarded .
Germination takes up to two months , but await until calendar month five before set up the passel and starting over .
The spores will mature into reproductive structures screw as prothalli that will later form real fern plants . When you ’re left with small fern works – two to three column inch tall , max – then it ’s time to move each one to its own pot .
Via Division
Dividing is a mountain well-heeled than cultivating spore , but it does hinge on having a with child enough specimen to divide in the first place .
springtime is the ideal time to divide , when growth rates are at their peak . palpate free to multitask by split while you ’re also repot !
Prior to dividing , wash the soil in both the old and the unexampled pots .
To divide , softly loosen the soil , remove the heart fern , and turn out the root ball in half . Be certain to leave an even amount of fronds intact for each one-half , along with symmetrical roots to support the shoots .
If you need , replicate the appendage with each half to create a total of four girl plant . As long as you come out with a parent of substantial size to control that each of the four daughter plants wo n’t be too wispy , they should transplant nicely .
When you ’re finish , transplant each into its own proportionately - sized mountain as described below , and presto ! You ’re done !
Transplanting
perchance the prison term required for propagation is n’t ideal , and you need a heart fern ASAP . Or perhaps you do n’t have a mother plant to propagate from . Either way , transfer a liveH. arifoliafrom the nursery is your secure bet .
The following transplantation instructions apply for plants you ’ve propagate yourself as well !
When it come sentence to graft , determine a pot that ’s large enough without being so big that the grunge used to fill up it might carry superfluous , disease - promoting moisture . sooner , you’llselect a moldable container over terra cotta , which dries out more rapidly .
Fill it with a 50 - 50 mix of sand and amoisture - retaining substrate such as peat mossorcoconut coir .
dig out out a maw that ’s large enough for the transplanting ’s ascendant system . Place the roots in the hole and cover . piddle in the plant to fix it in place and moisten the grunge .
We havemore detailed hint in our fern multiplication guide .
How to Grow
First things first , you need to establish where you ’ll put your plant life . Because heart fern are epiphytic , they do n’t technically want to be institute in soil . They can just originate and arise while adhering to Earth’s surface like an adolescent Spider - Man .
In the wild , H. arifoliawould be growing on tree bark or a moss-grown rock , so a moss - overlay base of support must be provided .
Deadwood , cork , or stone are some great pick . Peat moss is ideal for its gamey acidulousness , although coconut coir is an satisfactory replacement .
Once you ’ve opt your theme and uprise substrate , attach the substratum to the base with staples , sportfishing conducting wire , or glue .
Then anchor yourH. arifoliaby the stems to the substrate - cover foundation using jute , string , or sportfishing wire . Feel destitute to off a match leaves if it ’s too heavy to stay anchored .
H. arifoliacan grow in soil as well . But because of the flora ’s epiphytic nature , the planting spiritualist must be light and light around the root .
give each heart fern its own pot that ’s fill up with a 50 - 50 mixture of gumption and coconut coir , orchid bark , or peat moss should do the john .
Whether you pick out a substratum with or without soil , the pH should err towards acidity if possible . But this fern ’s pH tolerance is astonishingly flexible , so do n’t worry if the pH is impersonal or even a snatch alkaline .
Next up , climate . In the wild , H. arifolialives in the tropics under the shade of canopy tree , so this environment must be reanimate indoors to the practiced of your ability . Specifically , this means temperature ranging from 60 to 85 ° F , 60 to 90 per centum humidity , and substantial indirect inflammation from nearby window .
Humidity can be increased by using a humidifier or pebble tray , and group industrial plant tight together so their unified evapotranspiration keep the nearby air humid .
Keep swooning collateral by placing yourH. arifoliawithin six metrical foot of an east - face window , where it can get morning sun and fend off coarse afternoon electron beam . If brightly lit spots are all that ’s useable , sheer curtains placed over nearby windows can get down the wakeful chroma .
H. arifolianeeds its substrate to be kept moist at all times . Too little water will cause leave to turn gray , develop browned patches , and get crispy . Too much water supply will cause icteric farewell and origin rot .
To hit that middle solid ground , Goldilocks , “ just right ” amount of aqua : hold off on tearing until the substrate ’s top third is ironical . But be diligent , because the heart fern is n’t all that ruffianly . Withholding or overdoing it on the water for even a day will make plant deterioration , so stay on top of your irrigation .
laborious pee is passably rough onH. arifolia , so pull in rain or permeate your water tap water for irrigation would be ideal .
If installing a filtration system or splurging for a Brita pitcher ai n’t your speed , then boiling should soften it up enough to utilise on the heart fern . Just be sure to allow it to cool down whole before lachrymation .
H. arifoliadoesn’t need all that much fertilizer , as isthe subject with most ferns . A worldwide all - purpose , balanced houseplant fertilizer diluted to half durability should suffice .
Apply a dose once a month during leap and summer , and none at all during the fall and wintertime .
Growing Tips
Maintenance
In world-wide , H. arifoliais a passably low - maintenance clump of greenery . But rationalise leaves when they ’re brownish , greensick , damaged , and/or diseased is a good idea . Be sure to employ sterilized cutting implements to preclude disease .
Heart ferns do n’t beware being base - hold , so you’re able to take your clip in repotting when they start to outgrow their containers . If repotting on a regular schedule is more your speed , simply hold off to do it once every two years maximum .
Where to Buy
So , you pay off ta buy a springy bosom fern ?
as luck would have it enoughBubbleBlooms has them available on Amazon , boast all of the qualities ofH. arifoliathat you ’ve grow to jazz , to boot , in a pot that measures four inch across .
Heart Fern Plant
These flora are somewhat hard to find oneself in strong-arm stock , so your good stake would be to start looking in specialty houseplant shop class with an emphasis in tropic specimen , rather than large greenhouse or garden center that might overlook the humble heart fern .
In add-on , you could try plant business deal shows or conventions to see if you’re able to get anH. arifoliadirectly from a seller or fellow plant parent .
Who hump , these meet - ups could leave to a new friendship … or possibly even discover that special someone . With the heart fern ’s cordate foliation , the opportunities for flirtatious banter and witty wooing abound .
Managing Pests and Disease
The affectionate , humid , and plastered tropic that the heart fern naturally calls home are full of various creepy - crawlies and disease pathogens .
Despite growing in a ( hopefully ) more uninventive surround , domesticatedH. arifoliaare prone to certain bugs and disease . As always , prevention is better than remedy .
Insects
Since insects can be vector for pathogen , finagle them can simultaneously keep disease in checkout !
aphid are clear green , balmy - bodied insectsthat tend to blend in with most leaf . They should be easier to tell apart than usual on the dark gullible leaf ofH. arifolia , though .
Aphids will consume the soft and juvenile parts of the plant , secrete honeydew in their wake that can itself be a vector for disease .
A spray of garlic water system flat on the aphids or a spray of neem oil color to the infested plant office can help .
Bonide Neem oil color
Need neem oil colour ? Bonide has a quick - to - use product , available from Arbico Organics .
mealybug show up as white , cotton - looking ball on frond , leaf axils , and etymon . mealy bug can cause stunted growthand eventual necrosis of infested plant tissue .
souse the soil with an insecticide like this pyrethrin dressed ore from PyGanic Gardening , useable via Amazonin eight - ounce containers .
PyGanic Gardening Insecticide
verify you dilute the dressed ore in conformity with the instructions .
Growing without grime ? A gentle spray of piss or constituent insecticidal soap to the leafage will help with mealybug control without get damage to the raw fronds .
Natria Insecticidal Soap
Natria has a great mathematical product for this that’savailable from Amazon .
Scale can be tough to blob . These brown , teensy - weensy bugs can blend into the foliation , effectively putting them in stealth mode . Infested plant may become fallible , scrubby , or even necrotic .
master scaleis identical to dealing with mealy bug : apply an insect powder to the filth and allow it drain . If your heart fern is grow sans grime , a foliar nebuliser of insecticidal soap like the one mentioned above will get the line done .
Disease
As a general rule , the enjoyment of sterile pot , dirt , bases , and tools can all help to prevent disease scatter .
Just in typesetter’s case , be on qui vive for the following :
The tragic affair aboutpowdery mildewis that it ’s often prevalent in ghost and high humidity , among nearly aggroup flora – all of which we by choice subject our heart fern to , funnily enough .
This disease shows up as a dusty whitish - gray coat on foliar surfaces . Initially , powdery mildew can be rubbed off the leaf by manus , but this is seldom a viable tenacious - full term solution . Removing and destroying infested frond is a good initial step .
Longer - term solutions include spraying with fungicide , reducing excess humidity , and meliorate overall air circulation .
tooth root rot symptoms let in spartan wilting , speedy foliar chlorosis , stunted or no growth , and rotted radical systems . This not only harms your plant , but will stymy the collection of vital nutrients by the roots in the future tense .
To handle this , take the plant out of its container or remove it from its substratum , and have a gander at the root ball . off any pathological roots and replace the substrate with a new , sterile substratum that ’s free of pathogens .
Ensure that any excess watering that might have have this disease wo n’t occur again in the future .
Learn more about treating root moulder here .
This is a deadly fungal disease caused bySclerofium rolfsiithat often occurs in the tropics . Since we ’re recreating tropic conditions for ourH. arifolia , this is cause for concern .
This pathogen yield plant tissue paper closer to the soil dividing line a water - soaked appearance , and leaves plants prone to secondary ailments such as rots .
There ’s not much to do that will cure this disease . Your best stake is to dispose of infected works parts and adjacent substrate , and start over with uninventive material .
When it comes to southern blight , prevention via proper watering and sterile growing conditions IS the cure .
Best Uses
The heart fern does well as a small specimen houseplant , an accoutrement to other houseplants , or as aningredient in terrariumsor vivarium .
Its semi - compact sizing makes it idealistic for fitting in those loaded spaces that your other , larger houseplants wo n’t wring into . The epiphytic nature of these plants also make them idealistic for exhibit via mounting , sans soil .
This is also a groovy conversation starter for those awkward moments with houseguests when no one quite know what to say next !
Quick Reference Growing Guide
Pteridophyte Puns: Ain’t They Ferny?
Hopefully , you ’ve descend to “ heart”Hemionitis arifoliaas a smashing accession to your ever - acquire houseplant collecting .
I wo n’t lie to you . This industrial plant involves a bitty act of sacrifice .
You ’ll ask to keep a invariant middle out for dryness , disease , and pests . The quest for perfect humidity will never be staring , and your thermostat might be set high than your utilities - conscious father lift you to be well-off with .
That last one may have gotten a bit personal … I sidetrack .
But after all that , you ’ll be exit with a beautiful pteridophyte that makes a statement . A statement that roughly translates to : “ I can rise this wickedly awing plant , and the work ethic and competency ask to do so will certainly bleed over into the rest of my life . ” And is n’t that what this plant hobby of ours is all about ?
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Joe Butler
