Dark, almost black-green leaves with a heavily textured surface, growing dense rather than open. Leptochilus pteropus 'Black Forest' is the Java Fern to reach for when a scape needs shadow and mass at the back — and it asks for nothing more than the plain green form does. What You'll Receive Sold as loose bare-root plants, bunched plants, or potted plants: Bare-root Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion, loose rhizome Bunched Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion bundled with foam and plant weight Potted Plants: Approximately 6+ leaf portion, potted in rockwool and net pot Plant Profile Common name — Black Forest Java Fern Scientific name — Leptochilus pteropus 'Black Forest' (syn. Microsorum pteropus) Origin — Cultivated form; the species ranges across Java, Malaysia, Thailand, northeast India and southern China Placement — Midground to background, attached to driftwood, stone or décor Mature height — 8-12 inches Growth rate — Slow Care Difficulty — Beginner Light — Low to medium CO₂ — Not required Water — 68-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5, soft to moderately hard Substrate — Not required. Epiphyte — attach the rhizome to hardscape and never bury it. Growth habit — Amphibious; grows emersed as well as submersed Propagation — Rhizome division, plus plantlets from mature leaves Grower's Notes Dark plants need light behind them. Against black substrate and dark wood this variety vanishes. Set it where pale sand, light stone or bright green foliage sits behind or beside it and the depth of colour becomes the point. It grows dense, so it needs space. Unlike the open, upright plain form, Black Forest fills in. Give it more room on the hardscape than you think it needs, or the inner leaves shade themselves and thin out. Never bury the rhizome. Roots may go into substrate; the thick horizontal stem must stay in open water or it rots — the usual way a Java Fern is lost. Black spots on old leaves are baby plants, not disease. Leave a spotted leaf in place until each plantlet has roots and two or three leaves, then detach and attach it elsewhere. This is how one plant becomes a wall of them. Expect a change of leaf. We grow this emersed, so some arriving fronds will die back as it converts to submerged growth. That is the plant working, not failing. Want to go deeper? Read our complete Java Fern Care Guide. Notes Photos are sample representations. Actual plants may vary in size, shape, or coloration. Unless otherwise specified, we do not guarantee plants are free of pests, pesticides, or exclusively submerged-grown. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
