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Histiopteris incisa
Also called Batswing Fern
Histiopteris incisa, the bat's wing fern, water fern or fern mata, is a common plant found in Australia, New Zealand and other islands in the south Pacific region. Usually found in moist areas, where it may form large colonies. The lowermost lobes of each pinnae have a bat wing like appearance, giving the fern its common name.
The bat's wing fern is widely distributed and abundant across most of the southern hemisphere including Tasmania. However, it is less common in exposed highland situations and mostly absent from low rainfall regions.
The bat's wing fern is found in many Tasmanian nurseries and is popular as both an indoor or outdoor plant, as it requires little sunlight and is very aesthetically pleasing. It is a popular pot plant, easily grown in a pot or open ground and is fast spreading in cool, moist environments.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Histiopteris incisa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
