Description
"Classic" Java fern with its large wide leaves has long been known as undemanding aquarium plant with multiple uses that can be cultivated very well as an epiphyte on rocks and driftwood.
Microsorum pteropus, or Java fern, grows in innumerable locations in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. It is often found on rocks or wood in rivulets and waterfalls. Some populations grow submersed permanently, others occur as terrestrial plants on moist forest ground. Java fern is a very widely spread, popular plant in the aquarium hobby, and it is on sale in most aquarium shops.50 years ago it was brought into trade under the erroneous name Leptochilus decurrens, amongst others, which is not a synonym for M. pteropus, but the name of another fern. M. pteropus is very variable. The various forms can differ so much in size and leaf form that one might even assume they belong to different species. For quite some time, only the large-growing standard form with broad leaves used to be in cultivation, however, more recently, other forms beside the varieties 'Tropica' and 'Windelov' have been imported, a large range of predominantly smaller-growing and narrow-leaved Java fern varieties.
Source
Flowgrow
Characteristic
The "classic" large-leaved Java Fern
Time-tested robust epiphyte
Can be used in many different ways
Synonyms
Polypodium pteropus Blume, Microsorum pteropus (Blume) Ching, Colysis pteropus (Blume) Bosman, Leptochilus pteropus (Blume) Fraser-Jenk.
Complete Botanical Name
Microsórum ptéropus (Blume) Copeland
Family
Polypodiaceae
Genus
Microsorum
Misapplied Names
Leptochilus decurrens
Category
Middle Ground
Difficulty
very easy
Growth
slow
Carbon Dioxide
need
pH Value
5-8
Temperature Tolerance
4-30℃
Carbonate Hardness
0-14 dKH
General Hardness
0-30 °dGH
Propagation
Proliferating leaves, Proliferating roots, Rhizomteilung, Splitting, Cutting off daughter plants
Can Grow Emersed?
yes
