Temperature
60–80°F
Keep away from winter window glass and heating vents.
Blue star fern
Phlebodium aureum
Blue star fern wants medium light and water every 5 to 10 days, once the top inch is dry. Non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Light
Medium
LowMediumBright indirectDirect
Three to four feet back from an east window. As an epiphyte it grew in tree crotches, not on the forest floor in full shade.
Water
Every 5–10 days
Baseline for a 6-inch pot indoors. Check first: water when the top inch is dry, not on a schedule.
Humidity
45% and up
Wants 60%. Struggles in dry winter air.
Difficulty
Easy
Scores 2 of 5: Scores 2 of 5: by a distance the easiest fern to keep indoors, because it tolerates drying slightly and does not demand 70% humidity. The furry surface rhizomes are supposed to sit on top of the mix.
Habit
Spreading
Grows to 12–30 inches. No support needed.
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Eating a large amount of any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.
Detail for cats → Detail for dogs →
What each authority says
- ASPCA
- No record page found under any name tested.
- NC State Extension
- Entry exists and records no poison data.
Light
Medium light. Three to four feet back from an east window. As an epiphyte it grew in tree crotches, not on the forest floor in full shade.
Water
Every 5 to 10 days in a 6-inch pot, when the top inch is dry.
Treat the interval as a starting point and the test as the actual instruction. Pot size, light level and season all move the number.
| Method | soak and dry |
|---|---|
| Test before watering | the top inch is dry |
Soil and potting
Two parts orchid bark, one part peat-free potting soil, one part perlite.
Repot roughly every 2 years, or when roots come through the drainage holes and water runs straight through without absorbing.
Common problems
Ranked by how often each turns out to be the cause for this species. Each links to a diagnosis page with the causes ranked for this species.
- Brown crispy edges monitor
- Frond drop this week
- Root rot act today
Pests
Recorded for this species. Each links to identification and treatment.
- Scale insects this week
- Mealybugs this week
Propagation
Division in soil or bark. Roots in 28 to 70 days.
| Preferred method | division |
|---|---|
| Medium | soil, bark |
| Time to root | 28–70 days |
| Node required | No |
| Best season | Spring and summer |
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Phlebodium aureum (consulted; entry exists and records no poison data.) Checked 2026-09-12.
- Wikidata entity Q1231082 — taxonomy and entity identity.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Phlebodium aureum Accepted name; family Polypodiaceae. Checked 2026-09-12.
- Photograph: Anatoly Mikhaltsov, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 4.0.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-02
Tony Valcarcel is the editor and publisher of this database, not a horticulturist
or a veterinarian. Every fact above is drawn from the sources listed, and
toxicity severity is reported only where one of them stated it.
How this is sourced.
Last updated 2026-09-02