Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Squirrel's Foot Fern (Davallia trichomanoides)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Squirrel Foot Fern, Dwarf Rabbit's Foot Fern, Ball Fern.

More about squirrel's foot fern

About Squirrel's Foot Fern

Davallia trichomanoides · also called Squirrel Foot Fern, Dwarf Rabbit's Foot Fern · houseplant

Davallia trichomanoides is a charming epiphytic fern famous for its pale, furry rhizomes that creep over the pot rim like the feet of a small animal. The finely divided, lacy fronds are semi-deciduous. It is a rewarding houseplant and is listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs by the ASPCA.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) · RHS H1c (16-24°C)

Watch for — Frond die-back in winter: This fern can be semi-deciduous; frond loss in low winter light and cool temperatures is normal. Reduce watering and new fronds emerge in spring.

What squirrel's foot fern's hardiness rating actually means

Squirrel's Foot 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Squirrel's Foot Fern has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for squirrel's foot fern as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 squirrel's foot fern go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 squirrel's foot fern can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Squirrel's Foot Fern hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is squirrel's foot fern cold hardy?

Squirrel's Foot 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. Squirrel's Foot Fern can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature squirrel's foot fern can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Squirrel's Foot Fern has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is squirrel's foot fern?

Squirrel's Foot Fern is rated USDA 9-11 (indoor-only in temperate climates) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can squirrel's foot fern survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 squirrel's foot fern below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.