Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called resurrection fern, miracle fern, little gray polypody, Polypodium polypodioides (synonym).

More about resurrection fern

About Resurrection fern

Pleopeltis polypodioides · also called resurrection fern, miracle fern · houseplant

Resurrection fern is an epiphytic fern from the Americas and Africa that grows on oak bark and rocks. Its fronds curl and look dead in drought, then unfurl within hours of rain. Indoors it wants shade, high humidity, and a mounted or bark substrate. Not individually listed by the ASPCA; verify with your vet.

Cold limit: USDA 6a-10b (hardy outdoors in the US Southeast) (10-29°C)

What resurrection fern's hardiness rating actually means

Resurrection fern 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 6a-10b (hardy outdoors in the US Southeast) — 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). Resurrection fern has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for resurrection fern 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 resurrection fern 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 resurrection fern can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Resurrection fern hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is resurrection fern cold hardy?

Resurrection fern 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. Resurrection fern can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 6a-10b (hardy outdoors in the US Southeast)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature resurrection fern can survive?

What hardiness zone is resurrection fern?

Resurrection fern is rated USDA 6a-10b (hardy outdoors in the US Southeast) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can resurrection fern 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 resurrection fern 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.