Species · genus Lecanopteris · Polypodiaceae

Kangaroo Fern

Microsorum pustulatum (G.Forst.) Copel.

Also known as: Hound's Tongue Fern · Kowaowao · Pāraharaha

Growth habit

rhizomatous geophyte

Microsorum pustulatum — reference photo — Leon Billows · CC0

Cultivars of M. pustulatum

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under M. pustulatum yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Scented Polypody Fern

Microsorum pustulatum, known as scented polypody, is a fern in the Polypodiaceae family. It is not native to Great Britain or Ireland, and its taxonomy has shifted over time, with the name now treated by some authorities as a synonym of Lecanopteris pustulata.

Source: RHS

A Name With History

This fern was first described under the name Polypodium pustulatum by G. Forster before later being placed in the genus Microsorum by Copeland, with that combination published in 1947. Botanical opinion has continued to move on it since, as reflected in its current synonymy with Lecanopteris pustulata in Kew's Plants of the World Online.

Source: Kew

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

10–27 °C

Soil mix

Loose, bark-based epiphytic mix that stays airy

Propagation

Division of the creeping rhizome

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Non-flowering fern, reproduces by spores

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Kangaroo Fern yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.