Climbing cup fern
![[Translate to English:] Klatrende skålbregne - (Dennstaedtia producta)](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/0/csm_Klatrende_sk%C3%A5lbregne_Birgitte_Bergmann_0c67d33481.jpg)
©Egon krogsgaard
Most ferns tolerate shade and remain on the forest floor, but the climbing cup fern loves light and aims to reach high up into the trees. It establishes itself in forest clearings or landslides, where there is plenty of space and abundant light. As trees and shrubs grow taller, the fern follows along.
To achieve this, it has developed an unusual strategy. When a new frond emerges, the stipe is unrolled to its full length first – sometimes more than six metres. In this way, the frond can push up through the canopy of the dense scrub forest.
Only afterward does the blade unfold, spreading out over trees and shrubs so that it can receive full light.
The fern gets its name, “cup fern,” from the small cup-shaped structures formed along the edge of the frond. Each cup contains many small brown sporangia where the spores are produced. When the spores are mature, they are carried away by the wind, and if they land in a suitable spot, they grow into new ferns.
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