Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' (Humata tyermannii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called White rabbit's foot fern, Bear's foot fern.

More about rabbit foot fern 'plumosa'

About Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa'

Humata tyermannii · also called White rabbit's foot fern, Bear's foot fern · houseplant

White rabbit's foot fern is a charming epiphytic fern grown for the furry, silvery-white creeping rhizomes that climb over the pot edge like little animal feet, topped by finely cut, leathery dark-green fronds. Compact and slow-growing, it makes an excellent humidity-loving houseplant and is non-toxic, well suited to baskets and shallow pots.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (indoor houseplant in most of the US and UK) · RHS H1b (16-24°C)

What rabbit foot fern 'plumosa''s hardiness rating actually means

Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-11 (indoor houseplant in most of the US and UK) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' cold hardy?

Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (indoor houseplant in most of the US and UK)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' can survive?

What hardiness zone is rabbit foot fern 'plumosa'?

Rabbit Foot Fern 'Plumosa' is rated USDA 10-11 (indoor houseplant in most of the US and UK) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to rabbit foot fern 'plumosa' below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.