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Nephrolepis (Greek, kidney scale, alluding to the shape of the indusia). Polypodiaceae. Sword Fern. A group of tropical and subtropical ferns.
Leaves pinnately divided; pinnae articulated or jointed, the veins free-forking, the sori on upper forks of the veins and with kidney-shaped indusia which are attached inwardly.—Four species are in more or less common cult. Of these, N. exaltata is the most important as it is best adapted to general cult. and also it has given rise to a large number of important horticultural varieties. It is, perhaps, safe to say that this species and its varieties constitute the most important single species of fern in cult. for house purposes. The three other species have each given rise to a few varieties but none of them is well adapted to house conditions, so that they are mainly confined to greenhouses.
In the index that follows most of the names belong to varieties of N. exaltata, or more accurately to varieties of N. exaltata var. bostoniensis, but in the trade they are counted as species and are given specific names. Technically N. elegantissima should have a much longer name if its true relationship were to be indicated. To illustrate, elegantissima is a variety of Piersonii, which is a variety of bostoniensis and this a variety of the original species, N. exaltata. Thus its scientific name is properly N. exaltata var. bostoniensis var. Piersonii var. elegantissima. In the present treatment the trade names are used, but in connection with the descriptions the origin of each form is given when known. The index includes all the names that have been met, although no information has been available regarding some of them. Very few of the English varieties are grown at all in the U. S. English varieties are indicated thus: (E).
Methods of cultivation.
In general, nephrolepis must be propagated entirely by runners. Few if any spores are produced by the varieties. As a plant comes to be a year or so old, the leaves develop the usual fruit-dots or sori, but when examined under the microscope it appears that these consist of abortive sporangia or spore-cases and contain no spores. It is probable that spores are developed occasionally, but so rarely that this method can not be used in propagating new plants commercially. A vigorous plant will, however, produce numerous runners which spread in all directions and take root, starting new plants in this way. It is customary to maintain a number of stock plants planted out in benches from which new runners can be plucked as needed. This also gives a good opportunity for the production of new varieties.
New varieties of commercial value do not appear very frequently in the commoner varieties. Most of the present standard varieties have been propagated from single original plants, although there are cases of a certain type of variation occurring simultaneously with different growers, one of whom might count it worthy of introduction while another would disregard it.
All growers unite in acknowledging the original Boston form as the best grower of all and it appears also that there is a greater demand for this form than for any other. The next most popular form is probably N. Scottii, with N. elegantissima the third. Teddy Jr., and the large frilled forms, N. Harrisii and N. Rooseveltii, are also grown by most dealers.
There are two main methods of growing nephrolepis for the market, the pot method and the bench method. In the former, stock plants are grown, planted out in the benches, from which new runners are picked from time to time. These are then potted in 2 ½ -inch pots and transferred to larger pots as becomes necessary. In the bench method, the runners are planted out in the benches and grown to good size when they are put into pots, perhaps 6 inches, and kept till rooted, and then sold.
It would appear that the pot method should produce plants which would be better suited to thrive in house conditions, owing to a better establishment of the roots. Then, too, the leaf-growth should also be better, as the transfer from the bench to the full-sized pot would tend to stop vigorous growth for a while.
Some growers market almost their entire product in the form of the bench runners. This of course is entirely wholesale trade. Such runners bring from 4 to 5 cents in thousand lots. When sold in pots, the price depends on the size of the pot. The various kinds bring in general the same prices. Well-grown plants in 6-inch pots sell wholesale at 50 cents apiece.
These ferns are grown from Maine to Florida. In general, a supply from near at hand is better than one coming from a distance. A lot of Boston runners (5,000) obtained from Florida and grown in Massachusetts were recently seen which were most unsatisfactory. At the end of a month there had been scarcely any growth, while for similar runners obtained nearby three weeks should see them well established and ready for sale. One large grower found another danger in Florida importations in the Florida moth, which nearly cleaned out their supply of ferns before they discovered that sprays of hellebore or pyrethrum destroyed it.
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Nephrolepis. Page 2131.
Nephrolepis. Page 2131.
