Pyrrosia (also called Felt or Tongue Ferns) were quite popular in the 1970s as houseplants and it easy to see why. The species name lingua literally means tongue, referring to the narrow, undivided blade of the fronds and many have a cinnamon colored fuzz or “felt” on the backside of the frond. Their thick, undulating, single bladed leathery fronds resist drying out in low humidity environments and they don’t mind being somewhat pot-bound or drying out occasionally as they are very effective at water usage. While they may be hardy outdoors in milder climates, they also do exceptionally well in hanging baskets where their creeping rhizomes are allowed to spill out over the borders of the container. Although they need slightly brighter light, they are much lower maintenance, more dry tolerant, easier to prune and less messy than boston ferns, which makes them an excellent addition to any house plant collection and they do particularly well in hanging baskets!

Frond Condition: Evergreen

Mature Size: 12-18” (1 - 1 1/2’), slowly colonizing

Root Type: Decentralized creeping rhizome

Origin: China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan

Cultural Requirements: Part Sun to Part Shade, Lightly Moist to Dryish, Protect from Frost, slowly spreading rhizome/colonizing

USDA Zones: 8, 9, 10 or as a Houseplant