Araiostegia perdurans

Lace Fern Davalliaceae

A beautifully delicate Asian fern with fronds that look almost too refined to survive outside, Araiostegia perdurans forms slowly spreading colonies of triangular, bright green fronds divided into numerous tiny, deeply lobed leaflets. Native from Sikkim and the eastern Himalaya through southern and central China, Myanmar, Thailand and Taiwan, it occurs as an epiphyte or lithophyte in humid woodland, often growing among mosses. 

In cultivation it wants humus-rich, gritty, sharply drained soil, with consistent moisture during growth but, crucially, protection from winter wet. Best in partial shade with shelter from cold winds—think woodland ravine rather than windswept border.

Height: 10–50cm.

Spread: 20–50cm.

Hardiness: H4, (–10 to –5°C).