Cibotium barometz

Common Names

Woolly Fern, Golden Chicken Fern, Scythian Lamb, Tartarian Lamb, Barometz Fern, Vegetable Lamb of Tartary

Summary

The woolly fern is a large evergreen tree fern native to East and Southeast Asia. It features a massive rhizome densely covered in long golden-brown hairs; fronds are feather-like, bipinnate, and reach up to about 2 m in length. Sori lie marginally on the undersides of the leaflets with pale yellow spores, giving a distinctive woolly, golden appearance in growth that often forms colonies on open forest slopes or disturbed areas in shady, damp habitats.

It prefers semi-shade, moist and well-drained acidic soils, and propagates by spores. In Britain, cultivation requires greenhouse protection. It is cultivated ornamentally and medicinally. Rhizomes contain about 30% starch and have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties for rheumatic conditions, while yellow hairs are tannin-rich and used as a styptic. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II due to rarity from over-harvesting, and domestication or cultivation is recommended to meet demand.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

3 ft 3 in – 13 ft 2 in

Spread

6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in

Hardiness Zones

Zones 8-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained, acidic, humus-rich, non-calcareous soil (pH 5.0–6.5)

Soil Drainage

Well-drained, moist soil.

Soil pH

5.0-6.5 (acidic)

Bloom Time

Summer, Fall, Winter

Foliage Color

Dark green with a glaucous underside.

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow-growing; several years to reach maturity.

Seasons of Interest

Fall

Propagation Methods

Spores, Side shoots (lateral shoots), Division (dividing side shoots from the rhizome)

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts small insects