Is Staghorn Fern Toxic to Dogs and Cats? (2026)

No treatment is needed. It's often displayed mounted on a wood plaque rather than in a pot, which naturally keeps it up and out of easy reach for most pets.

Staghorn Fern is not known to contain toxic compounds harmful to dogs, cats, or horses.

Staghorn Fern is confirmed non-toxic to dogs and cats by the ASPCA. Unlike most houseplants, it's epiphytic — in the wild it grows mounted on tree bark rather than rooted in soil — and it produces two distinct frond types: flat, round "shield" fronds that anchor it in place, and the showier, antler-shaped fronds the plant is named for.

Scientific name

Platycerium bifurcatum

Family

Polypodiaceae

Also known as

Staghorn Fern, Common Staghorn Fern

Typically found

both