Deparia lancea

Lance-leafed False Spleenwort Athyriaceae

A rather unusual fern, and certainly not one for the customer who insists that all ferns should have fronds divided into a thousand little bits! Deparia lancea produces simple, lance-shaped fronds — entire or occasionally slightly wavy at the margins — rising from a slender, creeping rhizome. The mature blades are narrow, leathery-textured and a handsome deep green, giving the plant an almost grass-like appearance at first glance. Underneath, the linear sori run along the veins, adding a little botanical detail for those inclined to turn the pot upside down.

Naturally widespread from the Indian Subcontinent and eastern Himalaya through Indochina and southern China to Japan, Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines and Borneo, with its range also extending through Sri Lanka. It is typically found in moist woodland, forest margins, valleys and along streams, from low elevations into the temperate uplands. Kew currently recognises the species across Assam, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Borneo.

In cultivation it wants moisture, humus and shade, preferably in a sheltered position where the soil does not bake dry. A particularly good fern for a woodland planting, and its simple fronds make a useful contrast to the usual finely divided suspects.

Nomenclature: originally described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1784 as Asplenium lanceum. It has subsequently travelled through a remarkable succession of genera, including Athyrium, Diplazium, Micropodium, Triblemma and Neotriblemma. Fraser-Jenkins established the present combination Deparia lancea (Thunb.) Fraser-Jenk. in 1997, which is the name currently accepted by Kew. Among its older names, Diplazium subsinuatum is particularly likely to be encountered in older fern literature and collections.

• Hardiness: H5, approximately –15 to –10°C
• Height: 30–60 cm
• Spread: 30–60 cm
• Fronds: Simple, lanceolate, entire or slightly wavy
• Foliage: Evergreen to semi-evergreen in mild climates
• Range: Indian Subcontinent, Himalaya, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Indochina, Philippines and Borneo