Pteris ensiformisSlender Brake Fern

Pteris ensiformis is a small, finely divided brake fern from tropical Asia and the Pacific, and the forms usually grown carry a clean silver-white band along the centre of each frond division. At 0.3 to 0.5 metres it stays low enough to work as a shade-bed ground layer rather than a specimen.

It is used in shaded courtyards, atrium beds and beneath dense canopy, and it takes container work and interior conditions as readily as open ground.

Specifications

• Height0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Width0.3 to 0.5 metres
• Native toTropical and subtropical Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands
• FoliageFinely divided fronds, often banded silver-white along the midrib in the cultivated forms; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers moist, humus-rich, free-draining soils
• LightPartial shade to deep shade
• WaterRegular; keep evenly moist and never allow the crown to dry out
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical regions and in conditioned interiors elsewhere

Additional Features

• UsesShaded ground layers, atrium and courtyard beds, interior planters and terrariums
• SpacingPlant 0.3 metres apart for a closed shade-bed layer
• Low MaintenanceRemove tired fronds at the base; no other routine care needed
• Pest ResistanceGenerally trouble free in a humid shaded position
• FormLow, soft, finely textured clump
• VersatilityPerforms in open ground, in containers and in interior planting from the same stock

The Slender Brake Fern is the fine-textured filler for deep shade, small enough to sit under everything else without competing with it.