Arachnoides
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called East Indian Holly Fern, Indian Holly Fern, Shield Fern, simpler hollyfern and Variegated Holly Fern.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata'. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Full shade, Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H3 — -5 to 1°C -5 to 1 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Clay, Loam, Chalk; pH Neutral or Acid or AlkalineRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Propagation
- Divide the root ball to propagate this fern.NC State Extension, filed as Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' · read 13 September 2026Divide in mid spring or in autumn.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- In spring, remove old or frost-damaged fronds.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Usually free of pests and diseases.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Arachniodes simplicior, the simpler East Indian hollyfern, East Indian holly fern, or variegated shield fern, is a species of fern in the family Dryopteridaceae.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- China to N. Vietnam and Korea, C. & S. JapanWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026China to North Vietnam, and Korea, Central and Southern JapanNC State Extension, filed as Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' · read 13 September 2026Japan, ChinaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- temperateWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- rhizomatous geophyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Fern, Ground Cover; habit arching, erectNC State Extension, filed as Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–24 in; width 18–36 inNC State Extension, filed as Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' · read 13 September 2026Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Non-floweringNC State Extension, filed as Arachniodes simplicior 'Variegata' · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.