Phlebodium aureumBlue Star Fern

Unusually among ferns, Phlebodium aureum is grown as much for colour as for texture: the deeply lobed fronds of the Blue Star Fern carry a distinct blue-grey cast, and they rise from thick creeping rhizomes covered in golden-brown fur.

It is an epiphyte by habit, so it wants bark and air around its roots rather than soil, and it is used in shaded planters, on vertical displays and in interior schemes.

Specifications

• Height0.5 to 1 metre
• Width0.6 to 1.2 metres, spreading by creeping rhizomes
• Native toThe tropical and subtropical Americas
• FoliageDeeply lobed blue-grey to glaucous green fronds rising from golden-brown furred rhizomes; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilRequires a very free-draining bark-based or epiphytic mix; rots in heavy wet soil
• LightPartial shade to bright indirect light
• WaterModerate; allow the surface to dry slightly between waterings
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical conditions, and in stable interiors

Additional Features

• FormCreeping golden rhizomes carrying blue-toned fronds, effective at eye level and above
• UsesIdeal for interior landscaping, shaded planters, hanging displays and epiphytic vertical work
• SpacingPlant 0.4 to 0.6 metres apart
• Low MaintenanceRemove spent fronds and keep the rhizome sitting on the surface, never buried
• Pest ResistanceGenerally sound; scale can appear in still interior air
• VersatilityGrown in planters, in hanging baskets or mounted as a true epiphyte

The Blue Star Fern brings an unexpected colour to shaded planting, and its epiphytic habit opens display options that ground ferns cannot offer.