Family: Selaginellaceae
Common name: Peacock fern, Willdenow’s spikemoss, Electric fern, Blue club moss, Giant blue moss, Vine spike moss, Blue spike moss
Peacock fern is a bright, evergreen plant admired for its iridescent blue-green leaves that give the plant its name. They are not true fern or true moss, but they are referred to by both names due to some similarity in characteristics.
These plants are native to South and southeast Asia, where they are commonly seen in the wild, or grown in gardens.
Plant characteristics
Peacock fern plants grow to a height of 1-2 meters with a soft, heavily branched stem that is green with a reddish hue. These fast-growing stems help the plant spread on the ground forming dense mats. Peacock fern plants are typically low growing, spreading quickly covering large areas.
Leaves are one of the noticeable features of the Peacock fern – beautifully shaped like peacock feathers with a blue-green iridescent tinge in the middle and a pale colored margin.
They have two types of leaves; small, scaly ones arising directly from the stem, and the slightly larger leaves that are arranged in a forked pattern, spreading out. Each leaflet is only .5-1 cm long, slightly elongated with a pointy tip.
These unique leaves make them good garden and landscaping plants, grown outdoor or indoor plants. Peacock fern plants do not produce flowers or fruits. Like ferns, they reproduce through spores that are produced in small sporangia found underneath the leaves.
The spores released from mature, dried leaves are dispersed through wind and water, and they germinate when they fall on a suitable substrate.
Gardening tips
Peacock fern thrive in indirect or filtered sunlight, in the shade of larger trees. Direct sunlight can scorch the edges of the leaves. Hence they can be grown outdoors or indoors, provided they get filtered sunlight from a north or east-facing window.
These plants prefer high humidity, and it is essential to mist the plants in dry, summer conditions. You can also place the pots in trays filled with water so that the humidity levels around the plant are maintained at a high 60-70%.
Watering should be done regularly, and the soil should be kept moist but not water-logged. Fertilize during spring and summer when the plant is actively growing and reproducing.
Uses of Peacock fern
Peacock ferns are grown as ornamental plants, though they had some medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine in treating inflammations. These plants can be grown on the ground or in hanging pots from which they droop over the edges gracefully.
Their rapid growth and quick-spreading nature makes them excellent ground cover plants that can protect and enrich the precious topsoil. They can be grown in areas with low sunlight underneath trees or in corners with less sunlight, making them very valuable in landscaping.
Peacock moss can be grown in terrariums due to their low light, and high moisture needs.
Propagation
Propagation is through spores and root division.
Parents plants produce spores in structures called sporangia found underneath the leaves. Mature leaves can be shaken in a paper bag, or over a piece of paper to collect the spores. These can then be sown in moist soil to germinate.
Mature plants produce small pups around them which can be carefully separated and replanted.
Photographed at: Lunuganga, Sri Lanka; Thrissur, Kerala
