Care of the indoor plant Asplenium antiquum or Japanese Bird's Nest Fern |
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The genus Asplenium, family Aspleniaceae, comprises more than 350 species of ferns of cosmopolitan distribution. Some species are: Asplenium antiquum, Asplenium nidus, Asplenium bulbiferum, Asplenium scolopendrium, Asplenium flabellifolium, Asplenium caudatum, Asplenium radicans, Asplenium lanceolatum. Common name: Japanese Bird's Nest Fern. This species is native to Japan and Taiwan. They are elegant evergreen ferns with arched fronds that reach 90 cm (2.95 feet) in height. The leaves (fronds) are bright green, lanceolate, with wavy edges and pointed; they differ from Asplenium nidus in that their leaves have a uniform width. Like all ferns they do not produce flowers. They are used as houseplants, in undergrowths or in cool, wet areas of the garden. Asplenium antiquum needs an illuminated exposure but without direct sun because it burns the leaves. Do not expose it to temperatures below 10 ºC (50 ºF). Good soil is a mixture, in the same proportions, of heather, sand and peat. The transplant is done in spring. Water frequently, with rainwater or without lime, so that the soil is always moist but never puddled. In summer the leaves must be sprayed with lime-free water almost daily. Fertilize every 15 days in summer with a foliar fertilizer. They can be attacked by mealybugs (if the humidity is low) and by fungi (if there is excess watering). Propagation is very complicated (they reproduce by spores); It's advisable to buy new specimens in nurseries, garden centers or plant shops. |
Images of the indoor plant Asplenium antiquum or Japanese Bird's Nest Fern |
 Asplenium antiquum  Asplenium antiquum |