Bird's Nest Fern
Asplenium nidus · Nest Fern
A true fern, but nothing like a lacy Boston fern. It is a glossy rosette of undivided, banana-like straps that spirals out of a dark, fuzzy center. In the wild it is an epiphyte, perching high in rainforest trees rather than rooting in the ground.
Family
Aspleniaceae
Origin
Old World tropics
In the wild
Perches in trees
Indoors
0.45–0.6 m
Growth
Slow
With pets
Non-toxic
Where it's from
The tropical Old World
Old World canopy
Native from Polynesia and Hawaii west through Southeast Asia and Australia to East Africa.
Outdoors: zones 10–11
Frost-tender. A houseplant everywhere colder.
Also a vegetable
Its young unfurling fronds are eaten in Taiwan and Polynesia, often stir-fried or cooked in coconut cream.
It grows its own dirt in mid-air
High in a rainforest tree, the fern's funnel of fronds catches falling leaves, dust and rain and rots them into its own private basket of soil. So it literally grows its own dirt in mid-air, feeding itself with no roots in the ground. That is the nest, and it is exactly why you must water the pot and never the crown.
A compost basket
The funnel collects litter and water and turns it into humus in the canopy.
No flowers, only spores
Ferns do not flower. It reproduces by spores in rows on the frond undersides.
Never water the crown
Water pooled in the central nest can rot it. Water the soil at the rim.
How to keep it
LightBright, indirect
Part to full shade and bright indirect light. No direct sun, which scorches the fronds.
WaterKeep uniformly moist
Never soggy or bone-dry. Water the soil at the rim, not into the central nest.
HumidityHighA rainforest epiphyte. It thrives in bathrooms and kitchens. Low humidity browns the edges.
Temperature16–21°CKeep it above about 13°C. No frost.
SoilPorous, humusy mixA peaty, well-drained mix with leaf mold and grit. Never waterlogged.
FeedingLight, in growing seasonLight feeding only. Ferns are sensitive to over-fertilizing and to feed in the crown.
DifficultyEasy to moderateMore forgiving of low light and average rooms than lacy ferns.
With petsNon-toxicTrue ferns carry no known toxic compound; its sister spleenwort is listed non-toxic by the ASPCA.
PropagationSporesIt makes no offsets, runners or cuttings. Home propagation means sowing dust-fine spores, slow and finicky.
RepottingEvery 2–3 yearsInfrequent. It likes being somewhat snug.
What the data says
What it costs
Mass-produced and widely sold at garden centers and big-box stores.
$10–25
Large specimens and named texture cultivars cost a little more, but nothing approaches true collector pricing.
IUCN · Secure (G5)
In the wild
The comfortable case: abundant in the wild and mass-propagated in cultivation.
NatureServe rates it Secure, widespread and abundant across its native range. The real nuance is taxonomic: "A. nidus" is a species complex, so some of those hidden lineages may be narrowly distributed even though the broad species is secure.
When it sulks
Brown frond tips and edgesLow humidity, dry air, or cold drafts.
Rotting central crownWater pooled in the nest, or overwatering. Water the soil, not the rosette.
Pale, scorched frondsToo much direct sun.
Wilting, yellowingSoil too dry, or the opposite: waterlogged and poorly drained.
PestsScale and mealybugs.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Crispy WaveOsakaVictoriaCrissie
Pairs with · keep apart from
CalatheaBoston FernPeace LilySnake PlantZZ PlantCacti
A new plant, every week.
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