Species · genus Nephrolepis · Nephrolepidaceae

Tuber Ladder Fern

Nephrolepis cordifolia (L.) C.Presl

Also known as: Boston Fern · Ladder Fern · Narrow Swordfern · Tuber Fern · Tuberous Sword Fern

Growth habit

lithophyte or epiphyte

Native range

Assam, Bangladesh, Borneo, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caroline Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, Comoros, East Himalaya, Fiji, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, Hawaii, India, Japan, Jawa, Kazan-retto, Korea, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Marquesas, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nepal, New Caledonia, New South Wales, Norfolk Is., Ogasawara-shoto, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Queensland, Réunion, Seychelles, Society Is., South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Taiwan, Thailand, Tibet, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Himalaya

Reference · N. cordifolia

Cultivars of N. cordifolia

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

No named cultivars catalogued under N. cordifolia 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.

Nephrolepis cordifolia is a tufted fern from tropical and subtropical Asia and the Pacific that grows on rocks and tree bark rather than in deep soil, so its roots want a loose, fast-draining mix and steady airflow. As a lithophyte and epiphyte it dislikes sitting wet but also resents going bone dry; water when the top inch of mix has just begun to dry, easing toward the longer interval in cooler or lower-light conditions. Give it bright indirect light out of harsh direct sun, and steady humidity, as it comes from consistently moist, humid habitats.

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 4-9d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 9 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

13–27 °C

Soil mix

Free-draining, humus-rich mix; tolerates a range of soils

Propagation

Division or by its tuberous runners

Fertilizing

Light balanced liquid feed monthly while actively growing

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Never flowers — a fern, reproduces 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 4-9d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Tuber Ladder Fern 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.