Pellaea andromedifolia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pellaea andromedifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Class:	Polypodiopsida
Order:	Polypodiales
Family:	Pteridaceae
Genus:	Pellaea
Species:	P. andromedifolia
Binomial name
Pellaea andromedifolia (Kaulfuss) Fée
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The coffee fern (also called coffee cliffbrake) is a type of fern. Its scientific name is Pellaea andromedifolia. This fern grows naturally in California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico. It belongs to a group of ferns called cliff brakes.

About the Coffee Fern

Unlike many other ferns, the coffee fern does not have pointy leaves. Its leaves, called fronds, have rounded or oval-shaped parts. These parts are spaced out along the main stem of the leaf. Sometimes, the edges of these leaf parts curl under.

When the leaves first grow, they are green. As they get older, they change color. They can turn red, purple, or even brown.

How Coffee Ferns Reproduce

Some coffee ferns reproduce in a common way, like many other plants. They use a process that involves two parent cells.

Other coffee ferns can make new plants without needing two parent cells. This special way of reproducing is called apogamy. It means a new plant can grow from just one cell without being fertilized.

Where Coffee Ferns Live

The coffee fern likes to grow in dry, sunny places. You can find it on west-facing hillsides. It lives in coastal areas, the Mojave Desert, and in California chaparral and woodlands habitats.

This fern is very tough. It can go a long time without water. When it gets very dry, it might shrivel up and look dead. But don't worry! After it rains, new green growth quickly appears from the ground. It spreads out slowly and forms small groups of plants.