About
Asplenium ceterach is a perennial fern that typically reaches a height of around 15 cm. It features short, upright rhizomes and clusters of slender, lanceolate fronds that can grow up to 20 cm in length. The upper surfaces of the fronds are dark green, while the undersides are covered with rusty brown scales.
About the genus
Asplenium is a group of evergreen ferns characterized by short, typically upright rhizomes that support a rosette of somewhat leathery fronds. These fronds can vary from simple to pinnate, and may extend to three times pinnate.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand, Chalk
- Soil pH
- Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained
- Aspect
- East-facing, North-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Ferns, Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming, Tufted
- Foliage
- Evergreen
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Patio and container plants, Rock garden
- Native to
- Europe, N Africa, W Asia
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow in humus-rich, moist but well-drained, preferably alkaline soil with added grit, in partial shade. See how to grow ferns for further advice
- Pruning
- Dead or damaged fronds may be removed as necessary
- Propagation
- Propagate by division, or propagate by sowing spores as soon as ripe at 15°C
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free