Neoblechnum is a genus of ferns in the family Blechnaceae, subfamily Blechnoideae, with a single species Neoblechnum brasiliense, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I).[1] The genus is accepted in a 2016 classification of the family Blechnaceae,[3] but other sources sink it into a very broadly defined Blechnum, equivalent to the whole of the PPG I subfamily;[4] the species is then known as Blechnum brasiliense. It is called Brazilian dwarf tree fern, red Brazilian tree fern, and red dwarf tree fern.[5][6]
Description
The erect rhizome of Neoblechnum brasiliense forms a thin stipe-stubbed trunk up to 30 centimetres (12 in) in height. The new foliage is a striking deep red color. As the fronds mature it turns to a glossy green.[7] On some selections, the new fronds emerge a pinkish-red.
Distribution
The fern is native to the warm and humid subtropical forests of South America.[7]
Neoblechnum brasiliense is cultivated as an ornamental plant.[7] In the UK (under the synonym Blechnum brasiliense) it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[8]
As it will not tolerate temperatures below 15 °C (59 °F) it must be grown under glass all year in temperate regions.
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^ abcPPG I (2016), "A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns", Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 54 (6): 563–603, doi:10.1111/jse.12229, S2CID39980610
^Christenhusz, Maarten J.M. & Chase, Mark W. (2014), "Trends and concepts in fern classification", Annals of Botany, 113 (9): 571–594, doi:10.1093/aob/mct299, PMC3936591, PMID24532607
