Pyrrosia lingua 'Kei Kan' Vilmorin Chinese fringetree

Chinese fringetree

the display holds cleanly for a long stretch without setting seed

moist but well-drained acidic soil

Luma apiculata rewards a gardener willing to grow something a little out of the ordinary

and birds spread the seed

Pyrrosia lingua 'Kei Kan' Vilmorin Chinese fringetreePyrrosia lingua 'Kei Kan' is a fern for people who think they do not like ferns. Nothing here is lacy or feathery. The fronds are thick, leathery, and strap shaped, and in this selection the tips fork and crest into ragged, comb like divisions, the feature that earns the Japanese name Kei Kan, meaning cockscomb. The overall effect is closer to a piece of green leather sculpture than to the soft filigree most people picture when they hear the word