heruheru

Leptopteris hymenophylloides | heruheru, crêpe fern, single crêpe fern

 

A graceful and striking fern most often thriving in the damp shade of stream banks and sheltered forest margins. It usually grows to around 60 cm tall, sometimes forming a short trunk that gives it a distinctive presence. The fronds can reach up to a metre long, finely cut into narrow triangular forms that catch the light with a translucent dark green. For planting, give it a consistently moist, shady position with shelter from wind and direct sun. It will thrive in deep soil rich in leaf litter or organic matter, and responds well to regular mulching to keep roots cool and damp. Best suited to a fernery or a shaded corner of the garden where humidity is higher, it pairs beautifully with other moisture-loving ferns and low forest understorey plants.

lowland forest

montane forest

streamsides

moist

full shade

height | 50cm

width | 50cm

A key characteristic of Leptopteris hymenophylloides is that its sporangia (which produce spores) are scattered individually on the underside of the fronds, rather than being clustered into dense patches like in many other ferns, a feature that helps distinguish it from the similar filmy ferns