ota

Pyrrosia eleagnifolia | ota, leather-leaf fern

 

A fern with a creeping rhizome that spreads to form dense colonies across rock surfaces, stone walls, and tree trunks. The small, leathery fronds are variable in shape, with a distinctive texture created by fine star-shaped hairs that are sparse above and densely felted beneath. It is well suited to rockeries, walls, and container planting. It commonly self-establishes in urban environments, frequently appearing on the trunks of introduced trees and shrubs in parks, streetscapes, and urban forest remnants, making it a resilient and adaptable species for challenging sites.