Mature size & growth rate

How big does Hare's Foot Fern (Davallia canariensis) get?

Also called Canary Island rabbit's foot fern.

More about hare's foot fern

About Hare's Foot Fern

Davallia canariensis · also called Canary Island rabbit's foot fern · houseplant

Hare's foot fern, native to the Canary Islands, Iberia and North Africa, is grown for its thick, pale-furred creeping rhizomes resembling a hare's foot and its leathery, finely divided dark-green fronds. Tougher and more drought-tolerant than most ferns, it suits hanging baskets and kokedama, and Davallia is ASPCA-confirmed non-toxic to pets.

Mature size: 30-45 cm tall, spreading 40-60 cm as the rhizomes creep.

Watch for — Sparse, slow growth: Too little light or a depleted mix. Provide brighter indirect light and a light spring feed to spur new fronds.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Hare's Foot Fern stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward. Indoors and in a pot, expect 30-45 cm tall, spreading 40-60 cm as the rhizomes creep.. A pot, your light levels and a little pruning are what set the final size in a home, far more than the plant's theoretical potential.

Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Growth rate and years to mature

Hare's Foot Fern is a moderate grower. Realistically, expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Its feeding profile backs this up: feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid feed at half strength. it needs little fertiliser and dislikes salt build-up, so flush the pot occasionally. pause feeding through autumn and winter.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the hare's foot fern repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast hare's foot fern grows.

How to keep hare's foot fern smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For hare's foot fern specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting hare's foot fern is the main way to control its spread and refresh it.
Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump.
Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Lift the whole plant. Slide hare's foot fern out of its pot in spring when the clump has filled it.
Split the clump. Tease or cut the rootball into two or more sections, each with healthy roots and growth.
Repot one division. Put a single division back in the original pot to reset it to a smaller size; pot or give away the rest.
Remove offsets as they form. Through the year, detach new runners or pups to stop it spreading again.

How to grow hare's foot fern bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for hare's foot fern the accelerators are:

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger.
Good light plus regular feeding maximises offset and runner production.
Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The hare's foot fern light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When hare's foot fern outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for hare's foot fern:

The clump bulging over the pot rim or splitting the pot — the cue to divide, not to find a bigger room.
A dense centre that goes bare or tired while the edges keep spreading.
Runners or offsets escaping across the shelf or into neighbouring pots.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the hare's foot fern repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the hare's foot fern propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Hare's Foot Fern size — frequently asked questions

How big does hare's foot fern get?

Hare's Foot Fern reaches 30-45 cm tall, spreading 40-60 cm as the rhizomes creep. when grown indoors. Size here is about width, not height: the plant builds an ever-wider clump or sends out plantlets and runners while staying relatively short.

Is hare's foot fern slow or fast growing?

Hare's Foot Fern is a moderate grower. Expect three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Hare's Foot Fern stays fairly low but widens over time — it spreads into a bigger clump by offsets, runners or rhizomes rather than shooting upward.

How long does hare's foot fern take to reach full size?

Roughly three to six years to reach mature indoor size, gaining a steady amount each growing season. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep hare's foot fern smaller?

Divide the clump every year or two — splitting hare's foot fern is the main way to control its spread and refresh it. Remove runners, plantlets or offsets as they appear if you want it to stay a single tight clump. Keep it slightly pot-bound; a snug pot naturally limits how wide the clump can get.

How can I make hare's foot fern grow bigger or faster?

Give it a wider pot and let the clump fill it — width is exactly how this plant gets bigger. Good light plus regular feeding maximises offset and runner production. Leave plantlets and offsets attached and feed through the growing season for the fastest spread.