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Asplenium antiquum

Asplenium antiquum, Aspleniaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Asplenium antiquum (Asplenium antiquum), the whole plant.
Daderot, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

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

Light
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · 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.

H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam; pH Acid or Neutral
RHS · 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

Watering
Keep the compost moist without letting it get soggy, and feed monthly from May to August with a general liquid fertiliser at half strength.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Keep the compost moist without it becoming soggy, and from May to August give a general liquid fertiliser at half strength each month.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Increase by division, or sow spores at 21°C once ripe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Asplenium antiquum (Asplenium antiquum) foliage.
Close upAssianir, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Asplenium antiquum (Asplenium antiquum) growing in a pot.
In a potAssianir, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Asplenium antiquum is a species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae. It is sometimes referred to as Japanese Bird's Nest Fern or simply Bird's Nest Fern. In Japanese, it is known by ō-tani-watari and tani-watari. It grows on cliffs, logs and rocks, near waterfalls, in damp forests, and on tree trunks in southeastern China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It is classified as an endangered species in both South Korea and Japan.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
China (Fujian) to Temp. E. Asia
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Taiwan
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
epiphyte or perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Clump forming (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Asplenium

More of the Aspleniaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.