#nephrolepidaceae

I pulled up this fern to bring it in for the freeze, and discovered it had formed numerous tubers this year. Only a few species of Nephrolepis develop these, most notoriously N. cordifolia, which has become invasive in Florida. This was sold as a Kimberley queen fern, N. obliterata, but I'm finding conflicting info on whether that species can form tubers or not. If not, then this plant is mislabeled, and big box stores are distributing an invasive species under an incorrect name. I'll have to key it out later to be sure. (The tubers are apparently edible, btw, if any Floridians are in a foraging mood.)

10.11.17 - Not exactly where I expected new fronds, but sure!

On the other hand it's also been cheerfully colonizing parts of Melbourne since at the 1980s at the very least, growing variously on station buildings and platform walls, often with other ferns including one I'll cover next. Everywhere it's been reported from, the colonised structure is thought to receive dependable moisture - from roadway sub-bases and leaky pipes, or in disused brick sewer outfalls.