Windelov Java Fern

Windelov Java Fern is a cultivar of Microsorum pteropus, the species that carries the plain name Java fern, and it is recognised at a glance by the forked, antler-like tips of its leaves. Those dark green blades grow from a creeping rhizome to about 15 cm, staying smaller than the parent species, and like all java ferns it is an epiphyte that should be tied to wood or stone rather than buried.

It is one of the least demanding ferns in the hobby, tolerating dim light and doing without CO₂ injection, with Flowgrow giving a pH of 5 to 8 and temperatures of 20 to 28 °C. It grows slowly but steadily, and new plants arise from the leaf margins or by dividing the rhizome, so a single established mat is easy to multiply.

Because it stays compact, it suits nano tanks and foreground positions on hardscape where the larger java fern would overgrow. Its unusual leaf tips make it a reliable talking point in a low-tech setup.