120mm Bird's Nest Fern - Asplenium australasicum

Asplenium australasicum grows as a shrubby plant, with a rosette of yellow-green fronds which grow up to 60 to 80cm long and up to 20cm wide. It has a prominent midrib under its fronds, giving the fronds a keeled appearance. It is native to eastern NSW and QLD and can often be seen up in the trees as it is an epiphytic plant. The "birds nest" shape of the plant acts as a funnel to catch debris from higher in the canopy. As the leaf matter and bird droppings decompose, it acts as fertiliser for the plant. As a juvenile plant, they look great indoors or on your patio, they like to be moist but not wet although they are very hardy and will survive occasional neglect.