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Hen and Chickens Fern
Asplenium bulbiferum · Aspleniaceae
How it looks
Hen and Chickens Fern is a highly distinctive fern with feather-shaped fronds and small plantlets (bulbils) that hang along the leaf margins. The fronds gather in a bird's-nest shape, and it reaches 12-20 in (30-50 cm) tall.
Hen and Chickens Fern is listed as non-toxic to cats by the ASPCA. An occasional nibble is unlikely to cause any real trouble. This verdict covers Asplenium bulbiferum only; it does not carry over to other species in the same genus.
Guide for parents
If leaves or stems sit at a height your cat can reach, they may get chewed or snapped. If the same spot keeps turning up damaged, that may be a route your cat takes.
If the pot can be moved, shift it off that route; if the plant is in the ground, just pick up dropped or broken pieces whenever you notice them.
The same genus also includes Bird's Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus), which neither the ASPCA nor NC State Extension covers, so it sits at caution on its own page here. That means there is no confirmed evidence either way — not that a toxin has been confirmed. A shared genus does not carry the verdict across species.
Details
- Scientific name
- Asplenium bulbiferum
- Common name
- Hen and Chickens Fern
- Family
- Aspleniaceae
- Source
- ASPCA cats plant list
Also known as
Related plants
Same plant family· Aspleniaceae
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