Variety of Java fern
Sunrise java fern
Leptochilus pteropus 'Sunrise'
One of 15 varieties of Leptochilus pteropus · See all varieties →
Also known as Microsorum pteropus 'Sunrise', Microsorum pteropus 'APC Sunrise', Java fern Sunrise
FreshwaterBrackishRhizomeRhizome divisionPlantlets
Varieties · Leptochilus pteropus
See all 15 →
Care at a glance
- Light
- Low light
- CO2
- No CO₂ needed
- Temperature
- 64–82°F
- 18–28°C
- Max height
- 11.8 in
- 30 cm
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Epiphyte
- Type
- Rhizome
- pH
- 5.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 2–15 dGH
- Spread
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Family
- Polypodiaceae
- Origin
- Cultivated form (exact origin unknown, sources name Thailand or Indonesia)
Overview
Attach Sunrise java fern to wood or rock with thread or glue and keep the rhizome out of the substrate. It grows in low light without CO2, but the orange on new leaves shows best under medium light, and plants kept dim can stay plain green. Growth is slow. At up to about 30 cm it suits the midground or the back of a small tank. Pull off the plantlets that form on old leaves once they have three or four leaves, and tie them onto new wood.
In the wild
Sunrise java fern is a nursery form of uncertain origin. A Thai grower sells it as 'APC Sunrise', which suggests the name started there, while some US shops give Indonesia as its source. The parent species, Leptochilus pteropus, clings to rocks and roots along shaded streams across Southeast Asia and grows both above and below the waterline.
Good to know
Sunrise is a leaf form of java fern (Polypodiaceae), now Leptochilus pteropus but sold as Microsorum pteropus 'Sunrise'. Its leaf edges are cut into short, jagged lobes and ruffles along their full length. Sunrise's new leaves open yellow, bronze or orange-red, strongest at the tips, and turn green as they harden. Trident java fern has long, finger-like lobes instead, and Gold Sparkle, a similar colored form, stays smaller.
Did you know
The color on Sunrise java fern sits only on young leaves, so a plant shows the most orange while it is putting out new growth. Sunrise's jagged edge is the steadier trait and stays after the color fades.