Java fern narrow leaf
Leptochilus pteropus 'Narrow'
Also known asNarrow leaf Java fern · Microsorum pteropus 'Narrow' (synonym) · Java fern narrow
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: epiphyte. Propagation: rhizome division.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Wood and rock mounts (Hardscape mount) | varies | none |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
| Inert gravel (Aquarium gravel) | neutral / inert | none |
| Bare bottom (no substrate) (Bare bottom) | n/a | none |
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
With fish
Origin and habitat
A narrow-leaved form of Java fern, the aquatic fern long known as Microsorum pteropus and now reclassified as Leptochilus pteropus, family Polypodiaceae. The species is native to Malaysia, Thailand, northeastern India and parts of southern China, on rocks and wood in and beside streams. The narrow-leaf form has slim fronds 15–25 cm long but only 1–2 cm wide, a grassy, flowing look quite unlike the broad standard form, swaying in current. It is one of several Java fern cultivars, alongside 'Windelov', 'Trident', 'Needle Leaf' and 'Lance Leaf'; it is sometimes confused with 'Trident', which has forked, finger-like leaf lobes rather than the smooth unforked margins of Narrow Leaf, and with the even thinner 'Needle Leaf'. It is widely sold potted or as tissue culture.
Care notes
Care is the same as standard Java fern. Attach the rhizome to rock or driftwood with thread, line or glue, and never bury it, since a buried rhizome rots; all the roots and fronds grow from it. It takes low to moderate light and no CO2, and tolerates a wide range of pH, hardness and temperature, and even low-end brackish water up to about 1.009, which is rare among aquarium plants. Growth is slow, and the thin fronds, with little leaf area to shade themselves, are more algae-prone than the broad form, so keep light moderate and run a cleanup crew of algae-eaters. It spreads two ways: by dividing the rhizome and by adventitious plantlets that form on the older fronds, which you detach once they have a few leaves and roots and reattach elsewhere. The flowing narrow fronds look best on tall vertical wood, where several plants make a curtain or river-grass effect for biotope and nature scapes. Its lighter visual weight suits smaller tanks than the bulky standard form, and the tough leathery leaves resist plant-eaters like goldfish and African cichlids. It is an ornamental epiphyte, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.