Common name: Foot Ferns
Family: Davalliaceae, Foot Fern
Height x width: 8-12" x 1-3'
Growth rate: moderate
Fronds: fine, compound, broad 3 or 4-pinnate, triangular, often shiny, deciduous in some species
Sori: marginal, tubular to urn-shaped
Light: bright filtered to moderate
Temperature: cool to warm
Watering: moderate
Fertility: moderate
Humidity: humid
Soil: epithytic mix such as sphagnum moss, peat moss, bark, or combination
Pests and Problems: gray mold, rhizome rot (if too wet), foliar nematodes, scales; browning leaves and leaf margins from low humidity, too little water
Growth habit, uses: hanging or creeping, they prefer to creep over and cling to sides of pots or hanging baskets
Other interest: native to various tropical areas near streams and on rocks; named for 18th century Swiss botanist E. Davall; noted and grown largely for its creeping surface rhizomes, densely covered with brown scales and sometimes hairs, overall resembling various animal feet
Other culture: mostly epiphytic so humidity is important; don't use soil or cover rhizomes--allow to grow on the surface; place indoors where humidity is high or it can be misted and watered (allowing to drain) frequently
Propagation: division, spores
Species:
• fejeensis (fee-gee-en' siss)--Rabbit's Foot Fern, evergreen, native to Fiji, rhizomes covered with long, soft curly hairs, linear frond segments, most common species in commerce
• mariesii (mar-ee' see-ii)--Squirrel's Foot Fern, deciduous, native to eastern Asia, narrow triangular frond segments
• solida (so-li-dah')--Polynesian Foot Fern, evergreen, native to Malaysia and Polynesia, triangular leathery frond segments
• trichomanoides (trii-co-ma-noy' dees)--Squirrel's Foot Fern, deciduous or semi-evergreen, native to Malaysia, Sri Lanka and northern India, diamond- to arrow-shaped frond segments
'Dwarf Ripple'--fejeensis, dwarf 8-16" tall, finely cut
'Major'--fejeensis, large fronds 2-4' long
'Ornata'--solida, wide frond segments
'Plumosa'--fejeensis, slender feathery fronds
'Ruffled Ornata'--solida, wide irregular and curled frond segments
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