sickle fern
Pellaea falcata | sickle fern
A striking fern perfect for both indoor display and outdoor gardens. It features dark brown stems adorned with regularly spaced, glossy dark green, sickle-shaped leaflets that taper to a point. While drought-tolerant, it thrives best in part shade with consistently moist, free-draining soil. You can use it to underplant trees and shrubs, add to mixed plantings, or mass plant for a stunning effect. It has a slow creeping habit and is only found in small, uncommon patches in coastal areas north of Auckland. Being smaller than its exotic commercial relatives, it's considered a collector's fern and can be somewhat challenging to cultivate.
typical habitat.
coastal scrub
cliff faces
drainage.
moist
sun.
full shade
partial shade
mature specifications.
height | 50cm
width | 50cm
did you know?
Many mainland habitats face threats from weeds and coastal development. In some areas species many be endangered by over-collection. For instance, herbarium records show that this species was once common on Auckland City's volcanic cones, but targeted collection has led to its near disappearance from that area within the last forty years.