Sadleria cyatheoides stem a bit floppy

[Rivera]

My young ama'u appears healthy, but its short stem is somewhat unstable, with the plant easily flopping over a bit to one side or the other.

It's not something you're going to notice in the photo, more an observation of handling the plant or watching it getting blown about a bit in the wind. 

Similar experiences? Is this typical for a young plant? I've not experienced this with any other tree ferns. 

[Dypsisdean]

Your fern looks healthy, but something about it tells me it’s not a Sadleria. It’s carrying too many leaves, especially for San Francisco. I have many of these in my surrounding forest, and that just doesn’t look the same to me. 

[Rivera]

1 hour ago, Dypsisdean said:

Your fern looks healthy, but something about it tells me it’s not a Sadleria. It’s carrying too many leaves, especially for San Francisco. I have many of these in my surrounding forest, and that just doesn’t look the same to me. 

Thanks Dean. I got the plant from @Darold Petty, who I believe got the plant from Fern Factory in Orange County. I'm not sure where their parent plants were originally sourced. 

Whatever it is, this fern lives in part sun, and is kept moist pretty much all the time. 

[PlantMorePalms]

I have a similar sized Sadleria that's also VERY floppy, but otherwise it grows well and is healthy. I got it from the Fern Factory and it looks just like yours.

I've tried to stake mine so that it will grow vertically, but I've read that these also often crawl along the ground and grow horizontally instead, which I guess would make sense given the floppy stem at a young age.

 

[Darold Petty]

Dean and Chris, I grew one that I collected myself from the Saddle Road, above Hilo.  I grew it to 60 inches of trunk, before it became senescent.   These small ones don't have the same look to me. The secondary small fronds don't have the curved shape.  Also, my big one did not show the red flush on the new fronds and neither do these small ones I have now.

I wonder if Fern Factory mixed up Rivera's order, it' s dark now, but I must check mine tomorrow !  

[Rivera]

The leaves are flatter on this fern, but certainly have a very similar pinnately compound appearance to at least a handful of photos I've seen online of ferns identified as Sadleria cyatheoides. Might it have variable traits since it's widely distributed? 

I guess it could be a blechnum...

It's growing well, so I imagine it will show its mature characteristics within a few years time. 

[Darold Petty]

I had a look at my two plants labeled as Sadleria, one from a vendor in Hawaii, and the second from Fern Factory.  They are identical to Rivera's plant.  Perhaps the look changes slightly with adulthood. I recognize that they do not resemble my adult plant.

Dean, did you notice juveniles, or only adult ferns ?

[mwardlow]

I have grown many Sadleria from Jim at the fern factory. His original spore was collected in Hawaii. Many when young are very top heavy and floppy. Sometimes I plant them a little deeper, mound up the soil or stake them until they become more stable. They all look identical to the plant Rivera is growing. The photos are of my largest one with many pups. What is interesting is that the parent plant throws a red new leaf but some of the pups from the same plant, in the same location, put out a red new leaf and some a new green leaf. One of my favorite ferns in the garden. For me, grows best in full sun. I am about 3 miles from the beach. The one shown is south facing next to the cement driveway and never burns.

[Rivera]

3 hours ago, mwardlow said:

I have grown many Sadleria from Jim at the fern factory. His original spore was collected in Hawaii. Many when young are very top heavy and floppy. Sometimes I plant them a little deeper, mound up the soil or stake them until they become more stable. They all look identical to the plant Rivera is growing. The photos are of my largest one with many pups. What is interesting is that the parent plant throws a red new leaf but some of the pups from the same plant, in the same location, put out a red new leaf and some a new green leaf. One of my favorite ferns in the garden. For me, grows best in full sun. I am about 3 miles from the beach. The one shown is south facing next to the cement driveway and never burns.

Gorgeous!

And good info, thanks Michael. 

[realarch]

8 hours ago, mwardlow said:

I have grown many Sadleria from Jim at the fern factory. His original spore was collected in Hawaii. Many when young are very top heavy and floppy. Sometimes I plant them a little deeper, mound up the soil or stake them until they become more stable. They all look identical to the plant Rivera is growing. The photos are of my largest one with many pups. What is interesting is that the parent plant throws a red new leaf but some of the pups from the same plant, in the same location, put out a red new leaf and some a new green leaf. One of my favorite ferns in the garden. For me, grows best in full sun. I am about 3 miles from the beach. The one shown is south facing next to the cement driveway and never burns.

Mike, your photos are beautiful as ever. Thanks for the info and it sounds like the guys have the real deal as well. Hmmmm, I think I need one or two. 
Tim

 

[Darold Petty]

8 hours ago, mwardlow said:

The one shown is south facing next to the cement driveway and never burns.

 

 

 

Someone once told me that Sadleria is among the very first colonizers of fresh lava.  Can anyone from Big Island corroborate this ?