Pellaea andromedifolia
coffee fern
Overview
Pellaea andromedifolia is a small, drought-tolerant fern in the brake family that grows 8-24 inches (20-60 cm) tall from a creeping, scaly rhizome. The wiry, dark stalks carry two- to three-times-divided fronds with small, oval to oblong leathery leaflets 0.2-0.5 inch (5-13 mm) long, blue-green to gray-green and often flushed with coffee-brown or pinkish tones that give the fern its common name. The undersides of fertile leaflets carry bands of spore cases along their rolled-under margins. P. andromedifolia grows on dry, rocky slopes, cliff crevices, and shaded banks in California and Baja California, often on serpentine and other lean soils. Unlike ferns of moist habitats, it withstands summer drought by curling or shedding fronds and reviving with fall and winter rains. It needs sharp drainage and rots in wet, heavy soils or standing water. The plant grows slowly and is hard to transplant from the wild. New fronds unfurl with cooler, moister weather. It spreads slowly by the branching rhizome rather than runners.
Native Range
Native to California and Baja California, Mexico, growing on dry rocky slopes, cliff crevices, and shaded canyon banks, often on serpentine soils.Suggested Uses
Used in rock gardens, crevice plantings, dry shaded walls, and containers with sharp drainage. It suits xeric and native gardens where moisture-loving ferns fail. Wet, heavy soils and deep shade are unsuited to it.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'
Width/Spread8" - 1'6"
Bloom Information
As a fern, it bears no flowers and reproduces by spores rather than bloom. Spore cases ripen along the leaflet margins through summer and fall. New fronds expand with the cool, moist weather of fall and winter.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
blue-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Pellaea andromedifolia grows in part shade to filtered sun and sharply drained, rocky or gritty soil with a pH from about 6.0 to 8.0, including serpentine. It is drought-tolerant once established and curls or drops fronds during the driest months, reviving with fall rains. Wet, heavy, or poorly drained soils cause the rhizome to rot. It is propagated from spores or by careful division of the rhizome, which is slow to re-establish. Little or no water is needed in the dry season. No fertilizer is required in the lean soils it occupies.Pruning
Pruning is limited to removing dead or tattered fronds. Old fronds are trimmed away as new ones unfurl in the cool season. No other pruning is needed.Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 1 gallons