Stenochlaena tenuifolia (Giant Vine Fern)

[Austinpalm]

Does anybody have experience with this plant that they can share? It looks very cool and some sites seem to indicate some cold and drought hardiness.  Am thinking it would look cool growing up the live oak in my backyard.  Could it survive in Central Texas 9a with some supplemental water?

[Hillizard]

35 minutes ago, Austinpalm said:

Does anybody have experience with this plant that they can share? It looks very cool and some sites seem to indicate some cold and drought hardiness.  Am thinking it would look cool growing up the live oak in my backyard.  Could it survive in Central Texas 9a with some supplemental water?

Maybe this helps... a blogger discussed this plant: https://growerjim.blogspot.com/2015/12/giant-vine-fern-stenochlaena-tenuifolia.html

He wrote: "Stenochlaena tenuifolia is native to equatorial Africa, and is recommended for USDA Zones 9-11. It can be container-grown anywhere."

[Eric in Orlando]

Around here the fronds burn at about 28-30F. In the past it seems rhizomes killed back below around 25-26F. The big freezes in the 1980s killed 20-30ft climbers back to the ground, not all came back up.

[Austinpalm]

Thanks for the replies. We’ll see how it does. 

[Really full garden]

Do you have an online source for rhizomes ? I would like to try this as a ground cover in a shady area.

[annafl]

I have this in Sarasota where I am borderline 9b/10a similar to Leu Gardens.  I don't remember whether we had it during the 2009-10 winter.  It was right around that time (year before or year after that we planted it at the base of a sabal palm and under the canopy of a live oak.  It does get sprinkled.  It has flourished to the point of aggression.  I love it, though, as I think it gives a real tropical feel to the area, so it's worth the effort for me.  It does get a little shabby during winter- depending on the winter, but even then, it's not unsightly.  The coldest we have been here is 27-28.  In 2009-10 winter we had those temperatures maybe 3 times.  Most years the lows here are 30-32, and we've never had frost since we are close to the intracoastal.  If you love it, go for it.  It's a really tough, non-needy beautiful plant.

[Austinpalm]

20 hours ago, scottgt said:

Do you have an online source for rhizomes ? I would like to try this as a ground cover in a shady area.

I found it here (http://tom-piergrossi.squarespace.com/ferns/stenochlaena-tenuifolia).  I received a very nice potted plant that I have since planted under my live oak.  They may be out of that size now but may have other sizes.

 

[Keys6505]

Wondering how you made out with this plant?  I bought a rhizome chunk off of eBay and after about 8-10weeks it finally shot up some fiddleheads.  Going to plant it under an oak in my yard (League City).  Is yours still alive?  Or was it before Palmageddon?

[Austinpalm]

18 hours ago, Keys6505 said:

Wondering how you made out with this plant?  I bought a rhizome chunk off of eBay and after about 8-10weeks it finally shot up some fiddleheads.  Going to plant it under an oak in my yard (League City).  Is yours still alive?  Or was it before Palmageddon?

It was before Palmageddon.  It did survive for me, but grew slow and got cut to the ground by a normal 9a winter.  It did never-the-less return from the roots. I have since moved to South Padre and am trialing it under a large P. canariensis in my yard.  I planted some rhizomes which I purchased off ebay back in November or December before Palmageddon hit.  We went below 25F so I was expecting all rhizomes to have died. Surprisingly, I noticed that one of the rhizomes had grown a new frond and seems happy so far in the clayey sand of my  backyard.  I hope to get this to climb up the P. canariensis and help create a nice jungle feel.

Good luck with yours!

[Marius]

Its natural range extends all the way south to South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Definitely not only an equatorial species. 
 

http://redlist.sanbi.org/species.php?species=4104-1