Angiopteris

Family. Marattiaceae.

Origin. Philippines, South Pacific.

Description. The genus Angiopteris contains about 100 species of large, evergreen, fast-growing ferns and is considered the largest fern in the world. The leaves, as a rule, are pinnate, up to 6 m long and up to 2.5 - 3 m wide, located on thick fleshy petioles up to 2 m long, thickened at the base. The leaves are light green, pointed with jagged edges, arranged alternately in 10 - 12 pairs on the frond. New leaves that are just unfurling are brownish in color. The rhizomes are creeping, massive, approximately 120 cm in height and 100 cm in diameter. Sporangia are found on the underside of the leaf.

Height. Up to 9 m in length.

Angiopteris - home care

Temperature conditions

Quite a wide range - 19 - 27 ° C year-round. 

Lighting

Shade-tolerant, like all ferns, does not tolerate direct sunlight.

Care

Remove dead branches promptly.

Substrate

Sandy, medium loam soil requires very nutrient-rich, well-drained soils. 

Feeding

Once every two weeks during the warm season.

Purpose

A very impressive fern, however, it requires a significant area for growth.

Flowering time

Doesn't bloom.

Air humidity

High, needs spraying.

Soil moisture

Watering is uniform throughout the year.  For irrigation, use softened water at room temperature - for example, bottled, rain, melted water. To reduce hardness, you can add regular baking soda to tap water - a teaspoon per 2 liters of water.

Transfer

As it grows, every spring in a container of larger diameter. 

Reproduction

It propagates vegetatively or by sowing fern spores. 

Pests and diseases

Mealybugs, spider mites, thrips.

Note

The plant is used in India to make starch from the rhizome.