Doodia aspera Rough Ruby

Doodia aspera 'Rough Ruby' is a particularly colourful selection of a pretty cold-sensitive Australian fern called Rough Fern. It forms a beautiful bouquet of rough fronds, upright, more or less evergreen in winter, tough, very nicely polished. Its young fronds, very decorative, change from ruby red to orange, apricot and then to light green before turning dark green, the leaves of different ages making up a multicoloured bouquet on the scale of the plant. It can only be grown in the ground in gardens spared by heavy frosts, preferably in the morning sun to accentuate its colours. Elsewhere, it is an original and decorative potted plant, to be stored away in winter.

Doodia aspera 'Rough Ruby' is a plant of the Blechnaceae family. Its wild ancestor is native to Australia, specifically the eastern part of New South Wales, as well as the states of Victoria and Queensland. Common in the Blue Mountains, this fern grows in slightly moist places, on sandy to rocky granitic and basaltic soils, with an acidic pH. However, it is a plant that is less demanding in terms of humidity than its Blechnum cousins. Unlike many ferns of the Blechnaceae family, the foliar dimorphism is very slight in this species Doodia aspera, with fertile and sterile fronds having a very similar appearance. The Latin adjective "aspera", which can be translated as "rough", refers to the rough texture of the fronds.

This curious 'Rough Ruby' fern is anchored by a rhizome with black scales. It develops upright fronds measuring 20 to 45cm (8 to 18in) long. Each frond is divided into segments of about 5-6cm (2in) with serrated edges, arranged in a zigzag pattern along the main vein. The fronds and their petioles are covered with small bumps, giving them a rough texture. The entire foliage measures about 40cm (16in) in all directions. When emerging from the ground, the fronds have a beautiful red colour, then they go through a beautiful range of colours before taking on their final dark green shade.

Rarely seen, this pretty fern, which thrives in very mild climates, likes the edges of leafy undergrowth, rich in humus, but it does not disdain slightly sunnier spots if they are not arid. It can be accompanied by small spring bulbs, other ferns, hostas and heucheras, for example. Plant collectors will adopt it in a nice pot that will spend the winter in a temperate greenhouse or in an unheated conservatory.