Anemia mexicana

Anemia mexicana, commonly known as the Mexican Flowering Fern, is an unusual species that is still rarely offered for sale. Its evergreen foliage, which is rather spread out, is composed of fronds that resemble that of Cyrtomium ferns, however our Mexican Anemia has a rare characteristic: the plant also produces decorative fertile leaflets, which bear spores and resemble the flowers like Astilbe. In its native habitat, it settles in fertile pockets between semi-shaded limestone rocks. In our gardens, this curious fern will establish itself in the same way in slightly shaded rockeries, even dry ones in summer. It can also be grown in pots.

Anemia mexicana belongs to the family Schizaeaceae, which consists of only one genus, the ferns Anemia. It is found in North America, specifically in a large part of Mexico as well as in Texas on the Edwards and Trans-Pecos plateaus. Its natural habitat, on the edge of semi-desert areas, consists of ravines, cliffs, and sparsely wooded slopes, as well as cracks between rocks, always on limestone soil. While it frequents areas with water, the plant also thrives in drier locations. According to American gardeners, this species is to approximately -12°C with winter protection.

This perennial fern grows in a spreading clump. At maturity, it will measure approximately 25-30 cm (10-12in) in height and 50 cm (20in) in width. Its stump produces tough, arching fronds that can reach up to 40 cm (16in) in length. Each frond has 4 to 7 sterile, slightly velvety, lanceolate-shaped pinnae, measuring 4 to 6 cm (2in) in length, in a bright and light green colour. In spring, at the base of each frond, a pair of erect fertile pinnae or leaflets appear, resembling stems, these far exceed the foliage. They bear the plant's reproductive organs, the sporangia containing spores. Their appearance resembles the flowers of Astilbe or Amaranthus, with their colour changing from green to yellow to russet and then to bronzed as the spores ripen. The Mexican Anemia is one of the 'desert ferns' and, as such, its fronds can curl up in times of drought and return to their normal appearance as soon as water becomes available again.

The Mexican Flowering Fern is mainly planted in semi-shaded rockeries in regions that are not too cold, or on a very well-drained slope. It is a plant for collectors: some successfully cultivate it in pots with well-drained soil that remains slightly moist, with regular fertilizer applications. For example, it can be associated with small dry shade plants that will not suffocate it: saxifrages (especially Saxifraga umbrosa 'Variegata'), Tiarella, Ajuga reptans, and other ferns such as spleenworts and Blechnum spicant.