Aglaomorpha coronans
5th April 2014
I have a fascination for strange ferns that I think stems from my complete inability to identify them with any certainty. I find them completely incomprehensible
and they appear in front of me with the aura of magic surrounding them. When I saw this one for sale among the house plants at a garden centre there was no doubt that I
would be taking it home. I was almost breathless with excitement faced with my complete ignorance.
I made no progress searching the internet on my own so I posted a picture on a forum and someone identified it as Aglaomorpha coronans with the simple confidence
of someone who knew it. Given the name, it was simple enough to confirm.
At this point I was thinking Aglaomorpha, tropical epiphytic fern? Not likely to be a success in my cold greenhouse. Still, I potted it up and waited for winter.
12th December 2015
Aglaomorpha coronans has a distribution from the Himalayas to South China, extending to Taiwan and north to the Ryukus. It occurs in tropical locations
but also occurs at some altitude over much of its range and the Ryuku Islands in Japan experience at least a little wintery weather.
Results so far are unexpectedly positive. It has grown well in the greenhouse and is starting to produce mature leaves. I didn't see any sign of winter damage
(though it was a mild winter).
29th May 2019