Bird's nest fern
Asplenium nidus
Also called Nest fern
Houseplant · Ferns & palmsNever pour water into the crown at its centre — that is exactly where it rots.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 6 daysKeep it moist — water at the first hint of dryness — don't wait for a dry pot.
- Light
- Medium indirect
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.9 m tall · 0.9 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Southeast Asia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The centre of the rosette darkens and goes soft where water was poured straight into the nest instead of onto the compost.Crown rot · disease
- Brown marks scattered at random on the frond underside — the neat parallel brown lines are spores and perfectly normal; it is the irregular bumps on the rib that are scale.Scale insect · pest