Aglaomorpha

      Family. Polypodiaceae.

Origin. Distributed in tropical Asia, the Philippines, and Taiwan.

Description. Aglaomorpha is a genus of epiphytic, slow-growing ferns, including about 10 species. It has powerful, dense fronds and a beautiful creeping rhizome, densely covered with chestnut hairs, covered with scales up to 5 cm in diameter.

The leaves are sessile, entire or slightly lobed in the lower part, hard, brown, pinnately dissected in the upper part; The leaves are broadly lanceolate, with wavy edges. The leaves reach 50 - 200 cm in length! Sporangia are round, oblong, indented, covered with or without a veil. Grow in pots, hanging baskets and trees as an epiphyte. A fairly unpretentious and low-maintenance plant for beginning gardeners. 

Height: Can reach 150 - 200 cm.  

Flowering time

Doesn't bloom.

Aglaomorpha at home

Temperature conditions

Prefers cool conditions - approximately 5 - 15 ° C. 

Lighting

Loves diffused light or shadow.

Care

Old fronds that appear at the base of the plant should be trimmed to maintain an attractive appearance. 

Substrate

Consisting of peat, leaf and turf soil with a drainage layer of perlite.

Feeding

Liquid fertilizer can be applied from April to September, every 4 to 8 weeks. 

Air humidity

Regular spraying, especially in winter, when the indoor air is too dry. The thicker and glossier the leaves of a plant, the better it tolerates an arid atmosphere and does not like drafts.

Soil moisture

Doesn't like being overwatered. Water the aglaomorpha little at a time, but do not allow the soil to dry out, as overdrying can lead to blackening of the leaf tips. 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.

Purpose

It attracts with its very exotic appearance, so it is advisable to use the plant in tropical winter gardens. A fern planted in a basket for epiphytes looks unusually decorative; growing through the holes, it seems to entwine it from the outside. Very suitable for bathrooms. 

Transplant

If necessary, in the spring.

Reproduction

It reproduces by spores, but can also be propagated by dividing the rhizome.

Pests and diseases

Root rot. Aphids, mealybugs and scale insects if not kept properly.  

Varieties:

Aglaomorpha herculeana

A type of fern with a branched, creeping, thick rhizome covered with long, soft, light brown scales. The leaves are sessile, with a broadly heart-shaped base, pinnately dissected in the upper part, with triangular lobes, wavy, leathery, dark green, glabrous. Sporangia are small, numerous, and deep.

Distributed on the islands of Sumatra, Philippine, New Guinea.

Highly decorative appearance. Cultivated in warm, humid greenhouses and heated winter gardens.