Houseplant · Davalliaceae
Rabbit's Foot Fern
Davallia fejeensis
Give it bright indirect light, steady moisture, and humid air, and those furry paws will crawl right over the pot.
Bright indirect
Every 5–10 days
55–75°F · 13–24°C
USDA 10–12
Overview
The rabbit's foot fern earns its name from the soft, fuzzy rhizomes that creep across the top of the pot and spill over the rim like little animal feet. It's a true fern from the islands of Fiji, grown indoors for its airy, finely cut fronds and that one strange, charming habit. Few houseplants give you something to watch the way these wandering paws do.
Unlike most ferns that hide their roots, this one wears its rhizomes on the surface, and that single quirk shapes how you grow it. The fronds rise from those creeping stems in a loose, lacy mound that can spread wide given room. It stays modest in height but generous in spread, which makes it a natural for a hanging basket or a shelf where the paws can dangle.
It asks for a little more humidity than the average houseplant, but it isn't fussy beyond that. Keep the air moist, the light soft, and the rhizomes uncovered, and it settles in for years. Get careless with watering or bury those paws, and you trade a happy fern for brown fronds and rot.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, evenly moist mix that never goes bone dry, humid air around 50% to 70%, and the furry rhizomes left sitting on top of the soil where they belong.
Light
Give it bright, indirect light near a window that never catches harsh midday sun. It puts up with partial shade and medium light too, but the fronds grow fullest in bright, filtered light. Direct sun scorches the delicate foliage.
Water
Keep the mix evenly moist without letting it stay soggy, watering roughly every 5 to 10 days once the top half-inch has dried. Ease off a little from fall through late winter when growth slows. The surface rhizomes rot if they sit in wet soil, so good drainage matters.
Soil
Plant in a peat-based mix rich in organic matter that drains freely. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 suits it, and a loose, airy blend keeps water moving past the roots and rhizomes.
Temperature
Normal room warmth works well, anywhere from 55°F to 75°F (13°C to 24°C). Keep it clear of cold drafts and hot vents, both of which stress the fine fronds.
Humidity
This is the one demand to take seriously. Aim for 50% to 70% humidity, well above what most homes offer, using a pebble tray, a humidifier, or a grouping of plants. Dry air shows up first as crispy frond tips.
Feeding
Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength. Skip feeding in fall and winter while the plant rests.
Pruning
There's no hard pruning to do. Just snip off dead, browned, or damaged fronds at the base to keep the plant looking tidy and to make room for fresh growth.
Repotting
Repot only every 2 to 3 years, when the rhizomes and roots crowd the surface or the mix dries out unusually fast. Move up just one pot size and, above all, leave the furry rhizomes resting on top rather than tucking them under the soil.
Size & spacing
It reaches about 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) tall and spreads wide, from 1 to 4 feet (30 to 120 cm) as the rhizomes wander. Give it room to sprawl, or hang it so the paws can trail.
Troubleshooting
Most trouble with this fern shows up either on the fronds or on the rhizomes, and the two tell different stories. Crispy tips point to the air, while soft brown paws point to the water. Match what you see below and act before it spreads.
Furry rhizomes turning soft and brown
The hairy paws that crawl across the pot are surface rhizomes, and they rot when they sit in wet mix or get buried. This is usually rhizome rot brought on by burying them or by soggy, poorly drained soil. Uncover them, rest them back on top of the mix, cut away any mushy sections, and let the medium dry to the right level before you water again.
Fix:
- Uncover the rhizomes and rest them on the mix surface
- Let the medium dry to the recommended level
- Improve drainage and remove any rotted rhizome sections
Sticky residue and tiny bumps on the fronds
Sticky film, fine speckling, or small raised bumps mean pests have moved in, most often scale insects and sometimes spider mites or mealybugs. Look over the fronds and rhizomes for brown scales, faint webbing, or white cottony tufts. Wipe the pests off, move the plant away from your others, and treat with a horticultural soap or oil safe for ferns until the fronds come clean.
Fix:
- Wipe off pests and isolate the plant
- Treat with horticultural soap or oil suited to ferns
- Repeat treatments until clear
Crispy brown tips along the fronds
Browning that stays at the tips and edges while the rhizomes stay firm is almost always dry air or thirst, not rot. This fern wants steady moisture and the humidity of its rainforest home. Set it on a pebble tray or near a humidifier, keep the mix evenly moist, and move it away from heating and cooling vents that dry it out.
Fix:
- Raise ambient humidity with a pebble tray or humidifier
- Keep the mix evenly moist
- Move away from heating/cooling vents
Toxicity
Good news for pet owners: this is a true fern and non-toxic, listed by the ASPCA as safe for cats, dogs, and horses. The fronds and furry rhizomes hold nothing that will poison a curious nibbler, so you can set it on a low shelf without worry. A pet that eats a lot of any plant may still get a passing upset stomach.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
The ASPCA lists this fern as non-toxic, so a curious cat that nibbles a frond won't be poisoned. A big mouthful of any plant can still upset a sensitive stomach for a day.
Dogs None
Dogs can share a room with this fern with nothing to worry about. The fronds and furry rhizomes are safe, though a dog that bolts a lot of leaf may drool or bring it back up.
Horses None
No toxins here trouble horses, and the plant carries no warning for them.
Rabbits Safe
True ferns like this one hold nothing that harms rabbits. A nibbled frond is no cause for alarm.
Livestock Safe
Grazing animals such as goats, sheep, and cattle face no danger from this fern, which carries none of the toxins found in some wild ferns.
Birds Safe
The plant is safe around pet birds, and a stray peck at a frond does no harm.
People Safe
This fern is safe to keep in a home with children, and it isn't grown to be eaten. Wash up after handling the soil, as you would with any houseplant.
No special handling precautions are required; the plant is non-toxic, though the furry surface rhizomes should be left exposed on the mix rather than buried.
Varieties
A couple of named forms turn up in the houseplant trade, each with its own twist on the lacy look.
'Plumosa'
A feathery form with narrow, finely divided frond segments that give the plant an extra-lacy look.
'Dwarf Ripple'
A compact selection that holds to roughly 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm) tall, handy where space is tight.
How to propagate
Making more rabbit's foot ferns is straightforward once you understand those creeping rhizomes, since the paws themselves are what you root.
DivisionModerate
Spring · 4-8 weeks
The easiest way to make more is by division in spring. Take rhizome tip cuttings about 2 to 3 inches long that carry one or two fronds, pin them onto moist mix so the rhizome stays in contact, and keep them warm and humid until they root, which takes about 4 to 8 weeks. You can also sow spores, but that route is slower and far less reliable.
Myths
The furry rhizomes crawling over the pot are roots and should be buried in the soil.
Those fuzzy paws are surface rhizomes, not roots, and they're meant to creep across the top of the mix and over the pot's edge. Bury them and they rot. Leave them sitting on the surface where you can see them.