Asplenium bulbiferum - Hen and Chicken Fern / Pikopiko / Mother Spleenwort

from $9.90

A beautiful and distinctive New Zealand native fern, valued for its graceful form and unusual reproductive habit. This fast-growing species forms lush clumps of arching fronds and is well suited to shaded gardens, riparian plantings, and containers.

 

🌱 Plant Facts

β€’ Growth habit: Graceful, clump-forming, fast-growing fern

β€’ Foliage: Deep green, finely divided fronds that arch elegantly

β€’ Unique feature: Small bulbils form on frond tips; when mature (β‰ˆ5 cm) they detach and grow into new plants on contact with the ground

β€’ Height & spread: Up to 1 m x 1 m

β€’ Flowering: N/A – spore producing

β€’ Fruiting: N/A

 

🌍 Natural Habitat

β€’ Coastal to subalpine environments

β€’ Common in lowland forest, especially in high rainfall areas

β€’ Frequently found in riparian forest and on base-rich substrates

β€’ Often grows alongside other Asplenium species and readily forms hybrids

 

🌿 Growing Environment

β€’ Shade tolerant

β€’ Salt tolerant

β€’ Wetland tolerant

β€’ Coastal tolerant

 

Thrives in sheltered, shaded sites with consistently damp to wet soils rich in organic matter.

 

πŸ“ Endemic Distribution

β€’ Endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand

β€’ Found throughout the North, South, Stewart, and Chatham Islands

 

🌾 Uses

β€’ Bird food and attractant

β€’ Riparian and understory plantings

β€’ Shaded gardens and container planting

β€’ Native revegetation projects in moist environments

 

πŸͺ΄ Cultivation Notes (Live Plant)

An easy-care fern that establishes quickly in suitable conditions. Prefers shady locations with moist, humus-rich soils and benefits from regular moisture, particularly during establishment. Its elegant form and self-propagating bulbils make it a standout feature in naturalistic plantings and pots.

πŸ“ Approximate product size:

β€’ PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
β€’ PB3 (20cm – 50cm, 1.5L)
β€’ PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)

 

⏱️ Timeframe:

We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.

πŸ“¦ Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.

 

🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage

Size:

A beautiful and distinctive New Zealand native fern, valued for its graceful form and unusual reproductive habit. This fast-growing species forms lush clumps of arching fronds and is well suited to shaded gardens, riparian plantings, and containers.

 

🌱 Plant Facts

β€’ Growth habit: Graceful, clump-forming, fast-growing fern

β€’ Foliage: Deep green, finely divided fronds that arch elegantly

β€’ Unique feature: Small bulbils form on frond tips; when mature (β‰ˆ5 cm) they detach and grow into new plants on contact with the ground

β€’ Height & spread: Up to 1 m x 1 m

β€’ Flowering: N/A – spore producing

β€’ Fruiting: N/A

 

🌍 Natural Habitat

β€’ Coastal to subalpine environments

β€’ Common in lowland forest, especially in high rainfall areas

β€’ Frequently found in riparian forest and on base-rich substrates

β€’ Often grows alongside other Asplenium species and readily forms hybrids

 

🌿 Growing Environment

β€’ Shade tolerant

β€’ Salt tolerant

β€’ Wetland tolerant

β€’ Coastal tolerant

 

Thrives in sheltered, shaded sites with consistently damp to wet soils rich in organic matter.

 

πŸ“ Endemic Distribution

β€’ Endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand

β€’ Found throughout the North, South, Stewart, and Chatham Islands

 

🌾 Uses

β€’ Bird food and attractant

β€’ Riparian and understory plantings

β€’ Shaded gardens and container planting

β€’ Native revegetation projects in moist environments

 

πŸͺ΄ Cultivation Notes (Live Plant)

An easy-care fern that establishes quickly in suitable conditions. Prefers shady locations with moist, humus-rich soils and benefits from regular moisture, particularly during establishment. Its elegant form and self-propagating bulbils make it a standout feature in naturalistic plantings and pots.

πŸ“ Approximate product size:

β€’ PB3/4 (5cm – 20cm, 350ml)
β€’ PB3 (20cm – 50cm, 1.5L)
β€’ PB8 (50cm+, 3.5L)

 

⏱️ Timeframe:

We ship Monday – Wednesday for South Island customers and Monday/Tuesday for Rural and North Island customers. Orders placed outside these days will be fulfilled the following week.

πŸ“¦ Local pick ups and/or deliveries will be made by arrangement.

 

🌱 We’ll donate $1 per plant sold to national conservation efforts, helping to protect and restore New Zealand’s natural heritage