Bernieh's Garden
Nephrolepis biserrata - Giant Sword Fern
Genus: Nephrolepis.
Species: Nephrolepis biserrata.
Common name: Giant Sword Fern
Botanic name: Nephrolepis biserrata 'Macho'
Family: Polypodiaceae
The giant sword fern has deep green, arching fronds growing to 2.5 meters (8 feet) in length. The sheer size of this fern made it considered "macho" versus the smaller daintier "Boston" types—varieties of Nephrolepis exaltata.
Nephrolepis are strictly warm climate ferns—subtropical and tropical. Best guesses estimate somewhere between 10 and 30 species of sword ferns; a single genus in its own family, the Nephrolepidaceae.
