Hawaiian Tree Fern or Hapu’u
Cibotium glaucum (DICKSONIACEAE)
Planting and Growing Hawaiian Tree Fern
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Fronds, trunks, leaf stalks and spores of Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- Growing conditions for Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- When and where to plant Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- How to plant Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- How to shape, prune and control growth of Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- Landscape uses of Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
- Pest and disease control for Hawaiian tree fern or hapu’u
Growing Hawaiian Tree Fern
Many cultivars of slow-growing, erect, umbrella-crowned, palmlike, evergreen ferns, to 20 ft. (6 m) tall and 12–15 ft. (3.7–4.5 m) wide, with bright becoming deep green, broad, arching, triple-divided, finely cut, lacy fronds, 3–8 ft. (90–240 cm) long, on woolly, brown leafstalks, and with a fibrous, hairy trunk.
Manfern, Cibotium chamissoi, is a closely related species with similar care needs.
See also Australian tree fern, Cyathea cooperi, and Tasmanian tree fern, Dicksonia antarctica, unrelated species with similar appearances.
Hawaiian Tree Fern Planting and Care Guide
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 9–11. Tender.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy loam mixed with humus and charcoal or, in water features, shoreline sites. Fertility: Rich. 5.5–7.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun to partial shade. Space 6–10 ft. (1.8–3 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Mist occasionally. Fertilize quarterly. Deadhead old or broken fronds at their junction with the trunk. Protect from wind, drying. Propagate by spores.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, backgrounds, containers in arid, natural, shade, tropical, woodland gardens and water feature shorelines. Good as houseplant. Pest and disease resistant.