Plant Profile: Phlebodium aureum

This epiphytic fern originates from the tropical eastern shores of the Americas and is frequently cultivated as a houseplant. It features a rhizomatous growth habit, with roots densely adorned in golden scales, which is how it earned its name. For optimal growth, it thrives in partial sunlight, with moderate humidity and soil that is kept moist but not overly saturated.

The fronds of this fern are substantial and deeply lobed, measuring between 12 to 50 inches in length and 4 to 20 inches in width in their natural habitat. These evergreen fronds can have as many as 35 pinnae, displaying a range of colors from vibrant green to shades of green-blue, silver-green, or gray-green in various cultivars. The edges of the fronds are undulating. Spore sori, which are round, are located along each side of the pinna midrib, and the minuscule spores are dispersed by the wind.