Coffee Fern (Pellaea andromedifolia) Login         


        Description
  • Height to 2 ft.
  • Grows in sunny places, often on rocks.
  • Frond leaflets have rounded tips and curl under at the margins.
  • Called coffee fern because the fronds become dark as they mature.
  • Found in dry rocky places.
  • CA native
  • AKA Coffee Cliffbrake
  • Brake Fern Family (Pteridaceae)



Frond leaflets have rounded tips. They start bright green and turn darker and leathery with age.



Leaflet margins often curl under.



The stem is dark and wiry. It branches several times before sprouting widely separated leaflets.

   Photo Gallery (32 ) click any picture to enlarge
    

The central stem changes direction slightly at each branch. Branches near the bottom of the [[frond]] branch again before producing [[leaflets]]. ...

Branches end in a terminal [[leaflet]]. As they age, leaflets get leathery and darker in color.

Coffee fern has several features that help it conserve water. First, leaves are well separated, offering less evaporation surface. Second, they ...

Water beads on the surface. This is not too surprising in a leaflet that is built to avoid losing water.

Leaves turn purple-red or brown in the fall, a big change from the bright green of the spring foliage.