Microsorum pustulatum
hound's tongue fern
Overview
Microsorum pustulatum is an evergreen fern with a long, creeping rhizome that runs across rocks, tree trunks, and the forest floor, sending up fronds at intervals. Juvenile fronds are simple and strap-like, while mature fronds become deeply lobed into several finger-like segments, reaching 8-24 inches (20-60 cm) long, glossy mid-green, and leathery in texture. The creeping rhizome is green to brown and covered in small scales, letting the plant grow as an epiphyte on bark, a lithophyte on rock, or a ground fern on humus-rich soil. Round spore clusters sit in rows on the undersides of fertile fronds. Native to eastern Australia and New Zealand, it grows in moist, shaded forest, gullies, and rock faces with steady humidity. It needs shade and reliable moisture and scorches in direct sun or dry air. The spreading rhizome gradually covers surfaces, growing as a slow groundcover or a clothing plant for damp rocks and logs. Growth is unhurried, and the fronds vary from simple to lobed on the same plant, the trait behind the common name.
Native Range
Native to eastern Australia and New Zealand, growing in moist, shaded forests, gullies, and rock faces. It occurs as an epiphyte on tree trunks, a lithophyte on rocks, and a ground fern on humus-rich soil.Suggested Uses
Used in shaded and woodland gardens, fern houses, terrariums, and on damp rocks, logs, and tree ferns as an epiphyte. Suited to hanging baskets and containers in humid shade, where the rhizome can creep over the surface.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread1' - 3'
Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years
Bloom Information
As a fern, it produces no flowers. It reproduces by spores carried in round clusters on the undersides of mature fronds, released mainly through the warmer months. New fronds unfurl from the creeping rhizome across the growing season.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Glossy mid-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-5 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Grows in part to deep shade with steady moisture and humidity, on humus-rich soil, rotting logs, or moss-covered rock. The creeping rhizome sits at or just above the surface and stays unburied, since deep planting causes rot. Even moisture suits it, while waterlogging, dry air, or direct sun browns the fronds. It tolerates cool conditions and light frost but grows slowly. In containers it suits a free-draining, bark-rich mix in a shaded, humid spot. Misting and good drainage support healthy fronds.Pruning
Pruning is limited to removing old, browned, or damaged fronds at the rhizome. No shaping is needed. Sections of rhizome with fronds can be detached to start new plants.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons