Sword Ferns, Nephrolepis exaltata, have been popular for many generations and have been shipped from their native locations to sites all over the world.

It's a plant that mutates readily. One such mutation was noted on a shipment from Boston to some other Eastern seaboard city (don't remember which one). It was observed that the fronds were wider and more arching than the native N. exaltata, and had a somewhat thicker cuticle. Its biggest claim to fame, back then, was that it was the perfect indoor fern. (That thicker cuticle protects it from crummy inside conditions.)

That mutated plant was divided and grown on for observation, and was eventually able to be released as Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis', named for the port in which it was discovered. All Boston Ferns sold today are clones of that plant. Today, there are probably many hundreds of other mutations on the market with Sword fern as the mother plant.

Here's how you pronounce the name, so you sound like a 'pro' at your next gathering:

Nef-ROLL-i-pis EX-all-TAta Bos-tone-ee-EN-sis