Climbing cup fern
Unlike other ferns that prefer shade, this plant climbs toward the light.
Most ferns are shade tolerant and confined to the forest floor. Climbing cup fern loves light and reaches high up into the trees. It establishes itself in clearings or on landslides where there are ample room and lots of light. When the trees and bushes grow, the fern grows with them.
To do this, it has developed an unusual tactic. When a leaf appears, the first thing it does is to roll out the leaf stalk to its full extent, which sometimes is over six meters. In this way, the leaf is able to penetrate the forest canopy.
Afterward it unfolds the leaflet above the trees, and in this way, it reaches up and into the sunlight.
Facts:
- Greenhouse location: The Mountain Forest House
- Danish name: Klatrende skålbregne
- Latin name: Dennstaedtia producta
- Family: Bracken family / Dennstaedtiaceae
- Natural habitat: Moist forests in the Andes