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Lepisorus thunbergianus
Lepisorus thunbergianus is a small epiphytic fern, grown as a species, that clings to trees and rocks with creeping rhizomes and bears clusters of simple, undivided fronds. It is grown mainly as a novelty or for its ornamental appearance, and does best kept humid and out of direct sun.
Lepisorus thunbergianus, the weeping fern, is an epiphyte with slender, undivided fronds. Across its native Asian and Pacific range, it has many common names, including 瓦韦 (wa wei) in Chinese, ノキシノブ (nokisinobu), "hiding under eaves" in Japanese, 일엽초 (il-yeobcho) in Korean, and ‘ēkaha ‘ākōlea, pua‘a kuhinia, or pākahakaha in Hawaiian. While it is currently accepted as a species, it is paraphyletic species complex, and "might need to be redefined."
Lepisorus thunbergianus is found on the Eurasian mainland in China, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Vietnam, as well as Bhutan and northeastern India. It is also found in several island localities in Asia and the Pacific: Japan, Kuril Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Philippines, Taiwan, and Hawaii.
L. thunbergianus has been used in Korean folk medicine. It has also been proposed as a naturally occurring long-term monitor of airborne mercury pollution, with past mercury levels being accurately recorded in its leaves.
Lepisorus squamatus · Lemmaphyllum · Lepidomicrosorium subhastatum · Neolepisorus fortunei · Lepisorus microphyllus · Ussuri Weeping Fern · Lepisorus · Chinese fern · Neocheiropteris · Neolepisorus · Paragramma · Tricholepidium
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lepisorus thunbergianus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
