This adorable and very tough Boston Fern has rounded, almost button-like pinnae and synonymous with an old Boston Fern cultivar, Nephrolepis cordifolia ‘Duffii’. The fronds are quite upright at first and gradually and gracefully arch out and downward as they mature. As they unfurl, they tend to keep a soft light green-lemony color to the apex (tip) of the fronds even as the lower portion of the fronds hardens off to a medium, lightly waxy satin green sheen. Curiously, it also tends to develop small, rounded, almost-lemon colored nodules on the margins of the adaxial (front or top) side of the fronds, almost like it has little jacket buttons. Additionally, when the foliage is bruised or cut, some report they have a subtle, almost citrus-like scent. There is no denying that Lemon Button Fern is an appropriate cultivar name for this fern in so many respects!

As a member of the species N. cordifolia, the foliage of the Lemon Button Fern is generally stiffer and less pendulous than N.exaltata Boston Fern cultivars. It has a unique tuberous root system with fine, wire-like creeping rhizomes, which makes it highly adaptable to a variety of growing conditions and it can be found terrestrially (in the ground), lithophytically (on rocks) and as an epiphyte (on trees and other plants). Because of this it tends to be more drought tolerant than most Boston Fern cultivars, making this a very reliable and low-maintenance houseplant that doesn’t require a lot of water and is fairly forgiving if it dries out for a while. .

Cultivation Information:

Frond Condition: Evergreen

Mature Size: 12-18”, colonizing

Root Type: Tuberous, creeping rhizome

Origin: cultivar selected out of N. cordifolia, which is native to Northeastern Australia and the East Asian Subtropics

Cultural Requirements: Part Sun to Shade, Moist to Dryish, Frost Protect.

USDA Zones: 9, 10, 11 or as a Houseplant

Synonyms: Nephrolepis cordifolia ‘Duffii’