Climbing ferns represented a specific type of fern species that naturally occurred on the moon known as Yavin 4. On this moon, they flourished within the Massassi tree forests, coexisting with grenade fungi and light-emitting orchids.
The initial reference to climbing ferns appeared in Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin, a Star Wars Legends sourcebook for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game by West End Games, authored by Jonatha Ariadne Caspian and published in 1989. The reference book Ultimate Star Wars, which came out in 2015, established the fern's status as canon.