About Haplopteris ensiformis (Sw.) E.H.Crane
Haplopteris ensiformis (Sw.) E.H.Crane is a small epiphytic or lithophytic fern. It has short-creeping rhizomes that are densely covered in scales and ginger-colored hairs. Its dark green fronds are clustered, linear, and pendant, measuring about 6 mm (0.24 in) wide and up to 50 cm (20 in) long. Newly emerging fronds are pale pink or red. Sori grow in continuous lines just inside the margins on the underside of the fronds. This species is native to many regions, categorized per the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions: East Tropical Africa (Tanzania), South Tropical Africa (Zimbabwe), Western Indian Ocean (Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles), China (South-Central China, Hainan), Eastern Asia (Kazan-retto, Ogasawara-shoto, Taiwan), Indian Subcontinent (India), Indo-China (Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam), Malesia (Borneo, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Malaya, Maluku, Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra), Papuasia (Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Solomon Islands), Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland), Southwestern Pacific (Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu), South-Central Pacific (Easter Islands, Marquesas, Tubuai Islands), and Northwestern Pacific (Caroline Islands, Marianas, Marshall Islands). It grows on tree trunks, logs, rock faces, and boulders in rainforest, and also occurs in other wet forest types, including the wet sclerophyll forests of eastern Australia.
