Summary
Place of publication:
Bull. Sci. Soc. Philom. Paris sér. 3, 8:186. 1822 ("1821")
Verified:
10/09/2014
ARS Systematic Botanists.
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Reference(s)
- PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
- Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) www.skud.info
- Boggan, J. et al. 1997. Checklist of the plants of the Guianas, ed. 2
- Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
- Dyer, R. A. et al., eds. 1963-. Flora of southern Africa.
- Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
- FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. 2:120.
- George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
- Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14
- Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
- Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
- Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
- Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993-. Flora of Japan.
- Johns, R. J. 1991. Pteridophytes of Tropical East Africa
- Lellinger, D. B. 1989. The ferns and fern-allies of Costa Rica, Panama, and the Chocó (Part 1: Psilotaceae through Dicksoniaceae). Pteridologia 2A:108.
- León, B. 2012. pers. comm.
- Lloyd, R. M. 1974. Systematics of the genus Ceratopteris Brongn. (Parkeriaceae) II. Taxonomy. Brittonia 26:150-152.
- Mickel, J. T. & A. R. Smith. 2004. The pteridophytes of Mexico. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 88:1-1054.
- Parham, J. W. 1972. Plants of the Fiji islands, revised ed.
- Proctor, G. R. 1985. Ferns of Jamaica. A guide to the pteridophytes British Museum (Natural History), London, United Kingdom.
- Proctor, G. R. 1989. Ferns of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 53:1-389.
- Reed, C. F. 1977. Economically important foreign weeds: potential problems in the United States
- Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
- Slocum, P. D. et al. 1996. Water gardening: water lilies and lotuses 64. Note: Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
- Smitinand, T. & K. Larsen, eds. 1985. Flora of Thailand. 3:184. Note: published in 1822
- Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
- Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
- Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Parkeriaceae. Flora of tropical East Africa.
- Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Common names
English
water fern – water horn fern – water sprite – Japanese Rōmaji
mizu-warabi – Spanish (Peru)
helecho de Sumatra – Swedish
smal vattenbräken –
Distribution
| order_code | Status | Continent | Subcontinent | Country | State | Note |
| 1 | Native | Africa | East Tropical Africa | Kenya | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | East Tropical Africa | Tanzania | | incl. Zanzibar |
| 1 | Native | Africa | East Tropical Africa | Uganda | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Northeast Tropical Africa | Ethiopia | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Northeast Tropical Africa | Somalia | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Northeast Tropical Africa | Sudan | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Northeast Tropical Africa | Yemen | Socotra | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Angola | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Mozambique | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Zambia | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | South Tropical Africa | Zimbabwe | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Botswana | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Eswatini | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | Namibia | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Southern Africa | South Africa | KwaZulu-Natal | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Côte D'Ivoire | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Ghana | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Guinea | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Liberia | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Nigeria | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Senegal | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Sierra Leone | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West Tropical Africa | Togo | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West-Central Tropical Africa | Burundi | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West-Central Tropical Africa | Cameroon | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West-Central Tropical Africa | Democratic Republic of the Congo | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | West-Central Tropical Africa | Gabon | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Western Indian Ocean | Madagascar | | |
| 1 | Native | Africa | Western Indian Ocean | Seychelles | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Arabian Peninsula | Saudi Arabia | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Arabian Peninsula | Yemen | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Anhui Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Fujian Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Guangdong Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Guizhou Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Hainan Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Hubei Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Jiangsu Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Jiangxi Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Shandong Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Sichuan Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Yunnan Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | China | China | Zhejiang Sheng | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Eastern Asia | Japan | Honshu | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Eastern Asia | Japan | Kyushu | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Eastern Asia | Japan | Ryukyu Islands | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Eastern Asia | Japan | Shikoku | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Temperate | Eastern Asia | Taiwan | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indian Subcontinent | India | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indian Subcontinent | Nepal | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indian Subcontinent | Sri Lanka | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indo-China | Myanmar | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indo-China | Thailand | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Indo-China | Vietnam | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Malesia | Indonesia | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Malesia | Malaysia | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Malesia | Philippines | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Papuasia | Papua New Guinea | | |
| 1 | Native | Asia-Tropical | Papuasia | Solomon Islands | | |
| 1 | Native | Australasia | Australia | Australia | Northern Territory | n. |
| 1 | Native | Australasia | Australia | Australia | Queensland | |
| 1 | Native | Australasia | Australia | Australia | Western Australia | n. |
| 1 | Native | Northern America | | Mexico | | |
| 1 | Native | Northern America | Southeastern U.S.A. | United States | Florida | |
| 1 | Native | Pacific | North-Central Pacific | United States | Hawaii | |
| 1 | Native | Pacific | Northwestern Pacific | Micronesia | | |
| 1 | Native | Pacific | Northwestern Pacific | United States | Guam | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Brazil | Brazil | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Caribbean | Jamaica | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Caribbean | Trinidad and Tobago | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Caribbean | United States | Puerto Rico | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Central America | Costa Rica | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Central America | El Salvador | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Central America | Guatemala | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Central America | Nicaragua | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Central America | Panama | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Northern South America | French Guiana | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Northern South America | Guyana | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Northern South America | Suriname | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Northern South America | Venezuela | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Western South America | Colombia | | |
| 1 | Native | Southern America | Western South America | Ecuador | | |
| 2 | Cultivated | | | | | also cult. |
| 4 | Naturalized | | | | | possibly adventive or natzd. weed in some areas |
| 6 | Other | | | | | exact native range obscure |
Native
Africa
-
NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA:
Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen [Socotra]
-
EAST TROPICAL AFRICA:
Kenya, Tanzania (incl. Zanzibar), Uganda
-
WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA:
Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon
-
WEST TROPICAL AFRICA:
Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
-
SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA:
Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe
-
SOUTHERN AFRICA:
Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal]
-
WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN:
Madagascar, Seychelles
Asia-Temperate
-
ARABIAN PENINSULA:
Saudi Arabia, Yemen
-
CHINA:
China [Anhui Sheng, Zhejiang Sheng, Fujian Sheng, Hubei Sheng, Jiangxi Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Guangdong Sheng, Guizhou Sheng, Shandong Sheng, Sichuan Sheng, Yunnan Sheng, Guangxi Zhuangzu Zizhiqu, Hainan Sheng]
-
EASTERN ASIA:
Japan [Honshu, Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Shikoku], Taiwan
Asia-Tropical
-
INDIAN SUBCONTINENT:
India, Sri Lanka, Nepal
-
PAPUASIA:
Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
-
INDO-CHINA:
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
-
MALESIA:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines
Australasia
-
AUSTRALIA:
Australia [Queensland, Western Australia (n.), Northern Territory (n.)]
Northern America
-
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.:
United States [Florida]
-
REGION:
Mexico
Pacific
-
NORTH-CENTRAL PACIFIC:
United States [Hawaii]
-
NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC:
Micronesia, United States [Guam]
Southern America
-
CARIBBEAN:
Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, United States [Puerto Rico]
-
CENTRAL AMERICA:
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
-
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA:
French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
-
BRAZIL:
Brazil
-
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA:
Colombia, Ecuador
Cultivated
(also cult.)
Naturalized
(possibly adventive or natzd. weed in some areas)
Other
(exact native range obscure)
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System.
2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network
(GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://grip.mawarid.gov.om/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=400378.
Accessed 15 May 2025.