Species · genus Microsorum · Polypodiaceae

Monarch Fern

Microsorum scolopendria (Burm.fil.) Copel.

Also known as: Breadfruit Fern · Creeping Dune Fern · Musk Fern · Serpent Fern · Wart Fern

Growth habit

rhizomatous geophyte or epiphyte

Microsorum scolopendria — reference photo — Daderot · CC0

Cultivars of M. scolopendria

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

No named cultivars catalogued under M. scolopendria 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.

Wart Fern, Briefly

Microsorum scolopendria, commonly called wart fern, is a fern in the Polypodiaceae family. The RHS lists it plainly under this common name, a nod to the raised, wart-like sori that dot the underside of its fronds.

Source: RHS

A Wide-Ranging Native

This fern's native range stretches across the tropical and subtropical Old World into the Pacific, from parts of Africa and Madagascar through South and Southeast Asia to islands scattered across the Pacific. It grows as a rhizomatous geophyte or epiphyte, most at home in the seasonally dry tropical biome. Beyond its vast native territory, it has also become introduced in places such as Florida, India, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda.

Source: Kew

Rhizome and Habit

True to its botanical classification, this species can grow either rooted in soil as a rhizomatous geophyte or perched on other plants as an epiphyte. That dual habit reflects the flexibility of its native seasonally dry tropical habitats, where it may root into leaf litter or cling to bark depending on opportunity.

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

High

Temperature

16–29 °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

Moderate

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 Monarch 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.