Mother Fern

Mother Fern Asplenium bulbiferum Plant 

Mother Spleenwort is a tropical fern native only to New Zealand, growing in most of its bush areas. Elsewhere it is sold commercially as an indoor, container-grown house plant.  It belongs to the Spleenwort family of ferns whose name is based on historical belief that these plants had medicinal value pertaining to the spleen.   Mother Spleenwort is characterized by feathery, finely cut foliage emerging from a single crown. 

Plant Characteristics 

Tall fronds, growing to a height of four feet, arch gracefully. Spleenworts produce no flowers or fruit and reproduce primarily through spores located in sori on the under sides of fronds. Mother Spleenwort also reproduces vegetatively, as its name suggests. Fronds develop little offsets that grow to about 2 inches in size, fall off, then grow into new ferns near the parent plant. This fern prefers low light in dappled to deep shade and well drained, moist, acidic soil.

Mother Fern Edible Properties 

The native plant is edible and indigenous Maori use it as a food plant, collecting young fronds that are eaten raw or cooked like a vegetable. In zones where cultivation is suitable in landscapes, it should be sited in shady and sheltered areas, such as under an awning or in north-facing exposures avoiding sun and wind.

It is attractive in containers, mass plantings, hanging baskets, or as specimen in shady or woodland gardens. Indoors it can be grown in a bright room, avoiding direct sun, and watering regularly to keep it evenly moist. An acidic potting mix containing clay, loam, chalk and sand is suitable.