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| Category: Fern |
| Family: Polypodiaceae (Common Ferns) |
| Origin: Asia, Central (Asia) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: NA |
| Bloomtime: Not Significant |
| Height: 2-3 feet |
| Width: 2-3 feet |
| Exposure: Shade |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Microlepia strigosa (Lace Fern) - This delicate looking yet sturdy medium-sized fern forms dense clumps 2-3 feet tall that expand slowly by rhizomes. Its leaf blades start a light color and age to medium green and are two feet long by one foot wide with the arching then nodding fronds divided twice (bipinnate). It does best in light shade or morning sun with regular to occasional irrigation - surprisingly water thrifty for a fern and in our coastal garden only gets infrequent irrigation (once every 4 to 6 weeks) during summer months. It is hardy to 20°F and was unharmed in our historic 1990 cold spell when temperatures dipped to 18° F for a short duration - listed as useful to USDA Zone 6 if given some protection. Give occasional grooming or an annual trimming to remove old fronds. This is a great fern to fill in between shrubs as a foundation planting in the dry shade garden. Lace Fern is native to the Himalayas, Sri Lanka, and from southeastern Asia to Japan and Polynesia. The name for the genus comes from the Greek words 'mikros' meaning "small" and 'lepis' meaning "scale" in reference to the small scale-like indusia (structure covering the spores) and the specific epithet comes from the Latin word 'strigos' meaning bristles.
The information on this page is based on research conducted about this plant in the San Marcos Growers library, from online sources, and from observations made of the crops growing in our nursery, plants in the nursery's garden and those in other gardens where we may have observed it. We also have incorporated comments received from others and welcome getting feedback from those who may have additional information, particularly if this information includes cultural information that would aid others in growing Microlepia strigosa. |
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