Interrupted maiden fern, Hottentot fern
Thelypteris interrupta
Thelypteridaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Large herbaceous fern.
Height:
About 3-4 feet in height. Spreads from underground stems and forms large patches.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Miami-Dade and Collier counties north to Brevard, Lake and Levy counties; disjunct in Liberty and Franklin counties; Louisiana; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and Old World.
Habitats:
Wet hammocks and swamps.
Soils:
Seasonally wet to moist, moderately well-drained to poorly-drained organic soils.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
Light shade.
Flower Color:
N/A.
Flower Characteristics:
There are no flowers; the plants reproduce by spores.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous spores.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from spores with difficulty, and division.
Comments:


George D. Gann