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.
| Synonyms | Polypodium pteropus Blume, Microsorum pteropus (Blume) Ching, Colysis pteropus (Blume) Bosman, Leptochilus pteropus (Blume) Fraser-Jenk. |
| Misapplied names | Leptochilus decurrens |
| Complete botanical name | Microsórum ptéropus (Blume) Copeland |
| Family | Polypodiaceae |
| Genus | Microsorum |
| Difficulty | very easy |
| Usage | Epiphyte (growing on hardscape), Background, Midground |
| Growth | slow |
| pH value | 5 - 8 |
| Temperature tolerance | 4 - 30°C |
| 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 |