Light
Medium indirect • approx. 5,000–10,000 lux
Dryopteridaceae
Polystichum luctuosum
- Curated selection:
Every plant is hand‑picked for health and visual appeal, so you receive a strong, well‑established plant.
- Representative photos:
Product images show a typical plant of this variety. Natural differences in leaf number, shape or variegation are normal, your plant will still match in type and quality.
- Size details:
Listed sizes refer to pot diameter (cm) and approximate overall height (cm) from the base of the pot to the tallest leaf or stem.
- “Get What You See” items:
If you are buying the exact plant shown in the photos, this is clearly stated in the size section.
- Individual photos:
One‑off photos are only provided when this is explicitly mentioned in the size section. - For special traits or small quirks, please check the full product description.
VAT included · plus
Your new plant has just travelled a long way and needs a calm start in its new home. For step-by-step unboxing and first-week care, check our after-delivery care guide. For deeper tips on how your plant settles in over the next weeks, read our houseplant acclimatization guide.
- Care basics , Main hub with links to all houseplant care guides.
- After delivery & first week , Unpacking, first placement, and early recovery.
- Light, How much light houseplants really need indoors.
- Watering , When to water and how to avoid root rot.
- Substrates & roots, Potting mixes and drainage for strong root systems.
- Humidity, When humidity matters and what actually helps.
- Fertilizing, Simple feeding routine without burning roots.
- Problems & pests, Yellow leaves, brown tips, bugs, and fixes that work.
- Semi-hydro, How to run low-maintenance mineral substrates.
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28-day plant guarantee, if a plant arrives damaged or fails soon after delivery, we help you make it right.
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Polystichum luctuosum at a glance:
Polystichum luctuosum is a refined evergreen fern that forms neat shuttlecock-like clumps of dark, glossy fronds with fine division and strong structure. Its compact habit makes it especially useful in shaded containers, cooler indoor positions, or protected outdoor plantings where a fern should stay tidy rather than loose and sprawling. Blackish veins and firm leaflet texture give it more definition than softer woodland ferns.
Keep the substrate consistently moist, provide shade or bright filtered light, and avoid hard drying. It is a dependable option for anyone looking for year-round fern texture with a cleaner, more architectural outline.
Polystichum luctuosum
Quick Care Guide
Watering
Water when ~10–20% dry
Substrate
Moisture-retentive but aerated • Evenly moist • Organic-leaning • Fine-medium
Temperature
Ideal: 10–22 °C • Avoid below: 1 °C
Humidity
Normal 40–50 %
Growth habit
Upright clumping terrestrial fern.
Support
not needed
Growth speed
High
Max size indoors
Max. height: 60 cm • Max. spread: 60 cm
Toxicity & safety
Non-toxic & Pet Friendly
Origin & habitat
Zimbabwe to S. Africa, W. Indian Ocean, N. Pakistan to Japan and Vietnam; subtropical habitat
How to read these values
These care values are practical reference points for indoor growing. Use them as a starting point, then adjust for your room, pot size, substrate, temperature and how quickly the plant dries.
For more context, read the full product description or visit our Plant Care Guides.
- Light: level and approximate lux at leaf level.
- Watering: “% dry” is the trigger before watering again; a lower % means the mix stays more evenly moist.
- Potting mix: a quick profile of structure, drainage, moisture retention, base material and particle size.
- Temperature: “Ideal” shows the preferred range; “Avoid below” marks where stress risk increases.
- Humidity: target bands (Normal/Moist/Humid); consistency usually matters most.
- Growth habit: growth form (rosette, trailing, climbing) for placement and training.
- Support: shows whether a stake, pole or trellis is needed, optional or unnecessary.
- Growth speed: fast/average/slow under decent indoor conditions—expectations, not a promise.
- Max size indoors: realistic long-term potential; format differs for climbers vs. trailers.
- Toxicity & safety: irritating or toxic compounds and physical hazards such as spines or bristles.
- Origin & habitat: native region and typical habitat context.
Can Polystichum luctuosum be grown outdoors in European climates?
Summer outdoors onlyMore outdoor growing details
Move outside once nights stay above
10°C
Bring under cover below
1°C
Best outdoors in
Sheltered urban spot, Bright shade outdoors
Outdoor note
Protection and winter
- Protection: Frost-free wintering indoors
- Wintering: Overwinter cool, bright and frost-free
- Not a good fit for: Not suitable for direct midday sun, exposed wind or a pot that dries out completely.
Outdoor conditions
- Moisture outdoors: Evenly moist
- Wind exposure: Sheltered from wind
Plant names, growth habits, natural habitats and indoor care guidance are checked against trusted botanical, habitat and horticultural references before publication.View our plant care resources and references.
FAQs about Polystichum luctuosum
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