Blue star fern
Phlebodium aureum
Also called Golden polypody and Hare's foot fern
Houseplant · Ferns & palmsAn epiphyte, so ordinary compost suffocates it — an airy orchid-ish mix, and never bury the furry rhizome that creeps over the top.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Once a weekKeep it moist — water at the first hint of dryness — don't wait for a dry pot.
- Light
- Medium indirect
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 0.6 m tall · 0.8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Florida and the Caribbean to South America
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 blue-furred rhizome darkens and softens where it has been potted under the compost instead of left running along the top.Buried rhizome rot · disease