Coffee fern
Pellaea andromedifolia
Last reviewed: October 2026
Coffee fern (Pellaea andromedifolia) is a perennial fern native to CA, OR.
Toxicity unknown
Coffee fern (Pellaea andromedifolia) is not listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in new tab) or the other sources we check, so we have no verdict for it either way. Absence from those lists is not a clearance. If your pet shows symptoms after eating any plant, call the ASPCA at (888) 426-4435.
Light
part shade
Water
low
Size
8"–20" H × 8"–16" W
Bloom
N/A
Native to
CA, OR
Before you buy
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Browse plants for this ecoregion
Small evergreen fern with leathery, blue-green fronds divided into rounded leaflets, growing in rock crevices and on dry slopes. More drought-tolerant than most ferns, often going summer-dormant in heat rather than dying back.
Growing Coffee fern
Grow Coffee fern in part shade and low water. Mature plants reach 8 to 20 inches tall and spread 8 to 16 inches wide.
Wildlife value
Provides ground-level shelter for small invertebrates on dry rocky slopes. Not a floral resource since ferns do not produce flowers.
Common questions
- How much sun does Coffee fern need?
- Coffee fern grows best in part shade conditions.
- Where is Coffee fern native?
- Coffee fern (Pellaea andromedifolia) is native to CA, OR, per vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists. Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.
If something looks wrong
Common plant problems, and what to check first
These come up on almost any plant. Each guide lists the likely causes in the order they are worth ruling out, with one thing to check before you act on any of them, and links to the source it came from.
- It is dying right after planting
- Leaves turning yellow
- Wilting even though I watered it
- Brown crispy leaf tips
- Bugs on the plant
Ready to grow Coffee fern? Add it to your garden in Pollinator Patch to track it and get season-by-season care guidance.