Microsorum pteropus 'Sao Paulo' Care Guide
Narrow ribbon-leaved selection of Java fern with reddish young growth, an epiphytic rhizome plant grown attached to wood or rock in low light.
Overview
Microsorum pteropus 'Sao Paulo' is a selection of the Java fern with very narrow, ribbon-like leaves and reddish young growth. Java fern is highly variable and many leaf forms exist, including narrow leaf, needle leaf and other named selections; 'Sao Paulo' is one of the narrow-leaved collector forms. It is an epiphyte in the family Polypodiaceae that attaches to surfaces rather than rooting in substrate.
Taxonomy
- Family: Polypodiaceae
- Genus: Microsorum (also treated under the genus Leptochilus following taxonomic revision)
- Scientific name: Microsorum pteropus 'Sao Paulo'
- Common name: Sao Paulo Java Fern
Habitat
The parent species of Java fern grows in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, northeastern India and southern China, attached to riparian roots and rocks. It can grow fully or partially submerged provided the roots and rhizome stay wet. Named selections such as 'Sao Paulo' originate in cultivation.
Tank requirements
- Light: low (avoid intense direct light, which can damage leaves and promote algae)
- CO2: not required (optional supplementation increases growth)
- Temperature: 20-28 °C (68-82 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 3-12 °dGH
- Maximum height: about 25 cm
- Placement: attach the rhizome to wood or rock; keep the rhizome above the substrate to prevent rot
Care and growth
Like all Java ferns, 'Sao Paulo' is slow-growing and hardy. The black spots that develop under the leaves are sporangia, the reproductive organs, and are not a sign of disease. Keep the rhizome exposed and let the fern's own rootlets anchor it to the hardscape.
Propagation
Propagate by splitting the horizontal rhizome, or use the adventitious plantlets that form at leaf tips and margins of mature foliage. These plantlets grow their own roots and can be separated and attached to new surfaces.