Common plant for a "plant mom"

Latest answer — September 18, 2026

42 Across

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Clue explained

A fern is a common houseplant, making it a natural choice for a “plant mom” to care for. The answer is a singular noun.

Clue type:
Definition
A leafy fern growing in a pot

NYT Crossword

This clue's Friday, September 18, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Server's warning at a restaurant
  2. 7Moved along (to)
  3. 13Modern tech aid whose design was inspired by a Go board
  4. 14Figuratively speaking
  5. 15Begin to boil
  6. 16Insects named for when they emerge
  7. 17Breaks off
  8. 18Water containers
  9. 19Dinosaur in Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur"
  10. 20Four-time N.B.A. All-Star Young
  11. 21Line at an Apple Store
  12. 22Permanent, perhaps
  13. 23Contents of some pockets
  14. 24Yell sharply
  15. 25Org. whose events are typically held at clubs
  16. 26Country club?
  17. 30Defensive effort in the red zone
  18. 32Not everyone agrees on this
  19. 34Ball girl
  20. 35"Big Brother" host Julie
  21. 36Org. concerned with traffic
  22. 37Ones catching rays, perhaps?
  23. 40Two in a row?
  24. 41Places to buy buckets, familiarly
  25. 42Common plant for a "plant mom"
  26. 43Long-bodied fish
  27. 44Cookie contents
  28. 45Not together, in a way
  29. 47"Is that a challenge?!"
  30. 49Some features of backyard landscaping
  31. 50"I'll be right with you"
  32. 51Gave the once-over
  33. 52"Don't believe me? Just watch!"

Down

  1. 1Brightness measures, in brief
  2. 2Element of a dating profile?
  3. 3Potential outcomes
  4. 4Mass
  5. 5___ of Solomon, literary collection written in the first or second century
  6. 6Sci-fi writer Chiang
  7. 7"&" follower, in some business names
  8. 8When much rainy weather occurs in Côte d'Ivoire
  9. 9Flip
  10. 10Seize
  11. 11High-ranking scout
  12. 12Company whose products suck
  13. 14Additional schoolwork?
  14. 16Simple cocktail named for two brands
  15. 18"Phooey!"
  16. 20Torque symbol, in physics
  17. 21Bit of nonsense writing that typically gets a laugh
  18. 22Delighted cry upon receiving an acceptance
  19. 24Ball girls
  20. 25Leap day baby, e.g.
  21. 27Clicked with a partner?
  22. 28Snicker
  23. 29Simple check for freshness
  24. 31Act like yourself, perhaps?
  25. 33Nasty ___ (noted rap moniker)
  26. 37Not in the minority?
  27. 38It often has four legs
  28. 39Fidget spinners or Angry Birds, once
  29. 40Give ___ (cause consternation in)
  30. 41Character played by Rashida Jones on "The Office"
  31. 43Set piece
  32. 44Longtime U.F.C. C.E.O. ___ White
  33. 46Aladdin's sidekick
  34. 47Many a nonfiction Oscar nominee, informally
  35. 48Lead-in to "lab" in the name of an S&P; 500 company

The answer to “Common plant for a "plant mom"” in the New York Times crossword is FERN — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 18, 2026, a Friday puzzle, at 42-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Common plant for a "plant mom"” answer

FERN (4 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is FERN.

What does FERN mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of FERN is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds and reproduces by spores released from the undersides of the fronds. Ferns have a vascular system for the transport of water and nutrients

When else has “Common plant for a "plant mom"” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 18, 2026 (most recent) → FERN. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Common plant for a "plant mom"”?

The answer is FERN, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 18, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Common plant for a "plant mom"”?

4 letters: FERN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 18, 2026 (a Friday puzzle), at 42-Across.

Can “Common plant for a "plant mom"” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for September 18, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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