2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Leaflet (Latin Phyllitis) - shade-tolerant and shade-loving perennial, which is a representative of the Asplenievye family.
Description
The leaflet is a fern with a height of ten to fifty centimeters, equipped with solid lanceolate leathery leaves with strong kidney-shaped bases. These evergreen leaves sit on scaly, short stalks and give the spectacular plant a tongue-like appearance. Perhaps that is why the people call the leaflet "deer tongue". The length of the leaves varies from twenty to forty centimeters, and their width is within four to five centimeters. And the straight short rhizomes of the leaflet cover strong films.
The common leaflet is the only fern in the genus that has shiny, light green, tongue-shaped and wavy leaves along the edges. And these leaves, in turn, form fairly wide bushes, the height of which ranges from twenty to forty centimeters.
Currently, there are about ten types of leaflets, and all of them are interesting in their own way: in some plants, the leaves are dissected, in others - with wavy edges, in others - collected in bizarre bunches, in the fourth - growing in a fan, etc.
Where grows
The homeland of the leaflet is moist mountain European forests. Currently, this fern is distributed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere.
Usage
A leaflet is a great option for placement in rock gardens. And it also looks very impressive on any rocky areas! As for rockeries with flower beds, then in them this fern is usually planted in the most conspicuous place.
It is quite acceptable to grow a beautiful fern in indoor conditions - it grows rather slowly, in addition, it is very decorative and durable, and also goes well with any other fellow ferns.
Growing and caring
In no case should the leaflet be placed in sunny, dry areas - it is best to choose rather cool shaded areas with moist, loose and generously humus-rich soils for planting it. In addition, this fern also responds well to composting.
When dry weather is established, the leaflet should be sprayed with water from time to time. If the plant is indoors, then the room must be ventilated as often as possible - a regular influx of fresh air affects the leaflet in the most favorable way. And in winter, during the frost period, the leaves of the graceful fern growing in the open air must be covered. As for the most comfortable temperature regime for a leaflet, it is in the range from twenty to twenty-two degrees all year round.
This fern propagates either by cuttings in the spring, or by transplanting young plants formed from spores. And even with the onset of spring, the leaflet is sometimes propagated using pieces of its leaves - in this case, the leaves cut along with small parts of the shoots are kept in a warm room for several months, after placing them in sandy moist soil or in peat. And as soon as the first buds hatch, the shoots are immediately transferred for hardening to a cooler place, and after a year the seedlings will be able to boast of very impressive endurance! By the way, when planting a leaflet, in all cases, it is necessary to maintain a distance of fifty to sixty centimeters (the minimum is thirty centimeters). And the planting depth should be from one to two centimeters - the apical buds of the leaf should be located on the soil surface!
