Heart Fern (Hemionitis arifolia)

If plants could write love letters, the Heart Fern would be leaving one on your windowsill every morning. With its glossy, deep green, perfectly heart-shaped leaves rising on slender black stems, Hemionitis arifolia is equal parts botanical charm and quiet elegance. It’s a small, slow-growing fern, which makes it an ideal candidate for terrariums, bioactive reptile setups, or as a sweet accent in your indoor plant collection.

Heart Ferns come from the warm, shaded understory of Southeast Asian forests, so they’re happiest in a consistently humid environment where the air is as soft as a rainforest morning. In terrariums, they hold their compact shape beautifully, creating a miniature leafy “canopy” that works well as ground-level cover in reptile or amphibian enclosures.

Care Tips:

• Light: Prefers bright, indirect light or gentle dappled shade. Direct sun will scorch the delicate leaves.

• Watering: Keep the soil evenly moist at all times — never allow it to dry completely. Use room-temperature, filtered, or rainwater for best results.

• Humidity: Loves high humidity (70–90%). Perfect for closed terrariums or naturally humid reptile tanks. In open rooms, daily misting or a humidity tray is a must.

• Temperature: Thrives between 18–27 °C. Sensitive to cold drafts and temperatures below 15 °C.

• Soil/Substrate: A loose, rich, well-draining mix with plenty of organic matter — think fine orchid bark, peat-free compost, and perlite. In bioactive setups, plant in a protected area away from heavy traffic or digging.

• Feeding: A very light feeder — once a month during spring and summer with a quarter-strength balanced liquid fertilizer is plenty.

• Pruning: Remove yellowing or damaged leaves at the base to encourage new, healthy growth.

• Pests/Diseases: Occasionally susceptible to spider mites or scale in dry conditions — keep humidity up to prevent issues.

• Propagation: Usually grown from spores, but division is possible in mature plants if handled gently.

Heart Ferns are non-toxic, so they’re safe in enclosures with reptiles or other small pets. They’re not meant to be a snack, but a few curious nibbles won’t harm your animals.

Small enough to tuck into any space but striking enough to draw attention, the Heart Fern is like the jewelry piece of your terrarium — subtle, refined, and just the right touch of romance in your little indoor jungle.