Fern tree is native to Sri Lanka, the Western Ghats of southern India and small highland areas of East Africa. It is commonly cultivated in tropical and subtropical gardens and landscapes for its lush green, eye-catching foliage, compact size, uniform shape. It is best known for its striking foliage but large specimens also produce a heavy wood. It is found in forested ravines and in riverine and evergreen forest, up to 1600 m altitude. In Kampala, this tree can be found at York terrace, Wampewo avenue, Nasser road among other places.

Medium to large evergreen treeup to 30 m tall. The winged petiole and rhachis on the pinnate leaves give a fern-like impression.

BARK: smooth, pale brown on young trees, on older trees becoming rough, fissured and flaking.

LEAVES: glossy, alternately arranged, with 5-10 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are lanceolate to linear or narrowly oblong – elliptic (5 – 16 cm long and 0.5 – 4 cm wide) with entire yet curled wavy margin. There are about 30 – 50 pairs of tertiary venation present but faint. Petiole is about 1.5 – 11 cm long and winged. Rachis is about 15 – 30 cm long and winged on both sides (up to 1 cm wide).

FLOWERS: Inflorescence often occurs axillary and is narrowly paniculate (6 – 20 cm long). small, white with a pink tint and are held in loose clusters that are hardly visible. Both male and female flowers have 5 sepals and 5 yellow petals (1.3 mm long). Male flowers have 5 protruding stamens and rudimentary ovary, while female flowers have non-protruding stamens, unopened anthers and globose ovary which is covered in dense white hairs.

FRUITS: elliptical or drupe shaped (about 10 mm long and 6 – 8 mm wide) with persistent stype and reflexed sepals. Fruit turns shiny purple when mature and contains one seed within.

An ornamental tree.

Provides shade.

Can be used as a large privacy screen or windbreak.

The wood is sawn into durable beams and posts used in heavy construction and the small-diameter roundwood and branchwood is fashioned into tool handle.

Provides an excellent slow burning firewood.