SLAPS THE TABLE ALRIGHT LISTEN UP Ferns are one of the most majestic creatures on this earth. They're older than dirt and some of them slowly give you cancer just by being in their MERE PRESENCE. The spores can be fatal as they are delicate and there's so many fucking variety's whose young fiddleheads are delicious to eat. Many have medicinal properties that are neat! Houseplant social media will tell you it's hard to grow them but fuck you I live in Seattle, we wine and dine in the under story of temperate rain-forests so I grow them like weeds in any east-north facing window that gets licks of sunlight and a full view of the sky Here's my growing collection of these marvelous creatures, I've only killed one (remember you always painted fern) and Ill probably accidentally kill a few more in pursuit of the perfect habitat but until THEN (ALSO YES MY NAILS IK IK LETS STICK TO WHATS IMPORTANT HERE) I prefer growing local varieties to north America and the PNW because that's where I'm located and it's just easier dude© but I'm not above buying Asian or European varieties if the photos upload in the right order... WE HAVE The Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium Trichomanes) which is confusingly NOT the same genus as my latter Maidenhair ferns.. it just looks like it is. It's classed as a miniature fern and boy is it fucking -adorable-, I plan to propagate them into lil moss terrariums. Its been used as a diuretic and cough suppressant so idk if u got the flu and a piss fascination this fern is for you Next up is the Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum Pedatum) and I love them, I would die for them, the delicate way they flit around in the gentlest breeze tickles the cockles of my heart. It's like looking at my gf on a summer day, ideal. Copypaste from OSU "Medical uses around the world for this plant has included bronchitis, whooping cough, chronic infections, hepatitis, snakebites, rheumatism, asthma, coughing, fevers, burns, and scalds. North Americans would chew the fronds and then apply them to wounds to stop bleeding."
Okay okay, ikik, so many maidenhairs but I can't help myself. What was I to do? this next one Adiantum hispidulum or, the 5 finger jack is from Australia, New zealand, and polynesia. It's got rosy colored young growth and more clover-like fronds. Couldnt find any specific medicinal uses I just like the cut of their jib So anyways I buy this next fern right, and the tag tells me 'ay, buddy, I'm an august fern' and for weeks I'm wondering where's the pretty orange streak? wheres the lil splash, why does the variegation look so different... well its NOT the marvel I thought it was! It's an East Indian Holly Fern! (Arachniodes Simplicior) and it's spores become big enough clusters they look like a bunch of baby spider nests! How neat! or terrifying, given your opinion on arachnids ig The next three pictures are of a Licorice fern, a Tassel fern, and an unknown variety I was given for free because it was unmarked and overwatered! The other two I bought from the clearance bin. They look rough, they look like they've been through the ringer, but I bet u a few months in one of my windows and all of em will have new fiddleheads and look happy as can be, give em a year and you'd never know they struggled. Kinda like people you love, treat em right and give em time, they'll probably start perking up too. I was explicitly excited about seeing the licorice fern as it's PNW native. The rhizomes are sweet and "..were chewed by numerous Native American groups, including the Squamish, Shishalh, Comox, Nuxalk, Haida, and Kwakwaka'wakw. The rhizomes were also usually used medicinally as a treatment for the cold and sore throats." FINALLY we got ourselves a Little lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) and what is probably a Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum). We pulled them out of the ground and split them off, accidentally taking rhizomes from both plants on accident! They don't seem to mind and have different growth habits so hey, why not
congrats if you made it this far, cheers to ferns
