The resulting hybrid genus Phlebosia is particularly exciting because these plants have the broad, tropical looking, undulated foliage reminiscent of Phlebodium aureum, yet also have a slight waxy coating and will tolerate brighter and drier conditions thanks to the Pyrrosia side of their lineage. This new hybrid sports large, downward arching crests at the apex of its wide, undulating fronds, which average about 12” long by up to 7” wide. Each frond has several sets of deeply cut lobes that virtually disappear beneath the almost overlapping pinnae on mature fronds, making it look almost like a delightfully exotic sea lettuce. Like both parent species, this fern has a fuzzy creeping rhizome that puts up fronds along its length, and the white-golden fur on the rhizome is downy and upright, similar to Phlebodium aureum. This cultivar is so new it has not yet been tested in every possible set of growing conditions, but ours preferred filtered light and Part Shade, even though it tolerated Part Sun. In Deep Shade and Very Moist conditions the plants seemed to lose their vigor and became leggy. Like Pyrrosia species, this fern prefers to dry out in between waterings, accepts a wide variance in humidity, and seems be rather drought tolerant. While this fern is recommended for zones 10-13 or as a housplant, the exact hardiness is not fully known and is still being tested. We grow both Phlebodium aureum and Pyrrosia lingua cultivars and have allowed them to go below freezing many times as long as they are dry and the frost does not set, so we suspect that Phlebosia may actually be quite cold tolerant if overwintered in the right conditions.
