Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) growing in the wild

''Leptochilus pteropus'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Microsorum pteropus'', commonly known as Java fern after the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n island of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

, can be found in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, Northeast India and some regions of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. It is a highly variable plant with several different geographic varieties that vary in leaf size and shape. Found in its natural habitat growing attached to roots and rocks, it can grow in both fully and partially submerged environs. The plant can propagate through small adventitious plants formed on older leaves, which attach themselves to hard substrates.

Cultivation and uses

Java fern is one of the most popular plants in the aquarium hobby, due to its aesthetic appeal and ease of care. Several cultivars of Java fern exist, including the "narrow leaf", "needle leaf", "Windelov", "trident", and "lance leaf" variants. Cultivation in the aquarium is usually performed by tying or glueing the roots coming from the

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

to rock or driftwood, instead of planting it directly into the substrate. It can be cultivated in tap water, dim or bright light, with or without gravel. It is more snail resistant and grows better with higher fish loads.

References

External links

* The Aquarium Wiki article on caring for Java fern in the aquarium Ferns of Asia Freshwater plants Plants described in 1933 Polypodiaceae Aquarium plants {{Polypodiaceae-stub