Davallia canariensis, the hare's-foot fern, is a species of fern in the family Davalliaceae. It is a spreading, deciduous fern with thick, scaly rhizomes and broad, finely-divided fronds, it grows up to 50 cm tall and 100 cm broad.
Davallia canariensis, commonly known as hareâs foot fern, Canary Island hareâs foot fern, or deerâs foot fern, is an epiphytic evergreen fern with triangular fronds that spread to as much as 20â long on brown scaly-covered rhizomes covered with a fine mat of hairs. This fern is native to the western Mediterranean from southwestern Europe to Northwestern Africa and west in the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands off Morocco. In the wild, it grows well on tree bark or along rocky surfaces. Fronds grow to 1.5â long to 1â wide. Each frond will divide to 3 or 4 pinnae which subdivide into many pinnules. The fuzzy ground-level rhizomes reportedly resemble animal feet, hence the âfoot fernâ part of the common name. Genus name honors Edmond Davall (1763-1798), Swiss botanist of English origin. Specific epithet means of the Canary Islands.