Blechnum (Hard fern) is a genus of ferns in family Blechnaceae, comprising about 150-220 species. The species are mostly found in tropical regions of Southern Hemisphere, such as Brazil and West Indies, with a few species in cool temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere.
Blechnum are useful evergreen ferns for shade and ground cover and are mostly herbaceous except a few species, such as B. buchtienii and B. schomburgkii, which are tree fern that can grow to 3m tall. Several species are grown as ornamental plants in garden. They are also good for wood gardens.
B. tabulare can grows to a height of 1.2 m, has a spread of 0.5-1 m. It has dark green fronds which are evergreen or semi-evergreen, and sterile. Its young fronds are tinged with bronze and emerge throughout the growing season.
B. spicant is a low-growing species, growing to 0.5m (20 in) high and spreading 0.6m ( 2 ft), by means of rhizomes. It has dark green, glossy evergreen fronds which form rosettes around the central, deciduous fronds.
Blechnum grows best in partial shade, in moist, fertile and acidic soil. Propagation is by spores in late summer or division in spring.
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