Species · genus Nephrolepis · Nephrolepidaceae

Asian Swordfern

Nephrolepis brownii (Desv.) Hovenkamp & Miyam.

Also known as: Asian Sword Fern · Brown's Sword Fern

Growth habit

epiphyte

Native range

Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, China South-Central, China Southeast, Christmas I., Cook Is., Fiji, Hainan, India, Jawa, Kazan-retto, Kermadec Is., Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Marianas, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Ogasawara-shoto, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Queensland, Society Is., Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu, Vietnam

Reference · N. brownii

Cultivars of N. brownii

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under N. brownii yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A vigorous sword fern from the humid tropics of South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific, growing as an epiphyte that wants airflow, fast-draining mix, and steady moisture without sitting wet. Keep it in bright indirect light and elevated humidity; water when the top inch of mix begins to dry, and never let the roots stand in water, as an epiphyte's fine roots rot quickly in stagnant conditions.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 4-8d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 8 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

16–27 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moisture-retentive mix with plenty of organic matter

Propagation

Division or rooted runners

Fertilizing

Half-strength balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Never flowers — a fern, spreads by spores

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 4-8d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Asian Swordfern yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.