New leaves that come in tinged pink or rust before hardening to green. Leptochilus pteropus 'Red' is the closest Java Fern gets to color — not a red plant in the Ludwigia sense, but a warm blush on new growth that reads as depth against plain green foliage, and it needs no CO₂ to show it.
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 — Red Java Fern
- Scientific name — Leptochilus pteropus 'Red' (syn. Microsorum pteropus)
- Origin — Cultivated form; the species ranges across Java, Malaysia, Thailand, northeast India and southern China
- Placement — Midground, attached to driftwood, stone or décor
- Mature height — 6-10 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
- Be realistic about the color. This is a blush on new growth, not a red plant. It shows for a few weeks per leaf and then greens up. If you want a tank that reads red, buy a red stem plant — buy this one for a warm accent that survives in a shaded, low-tech tank where reds cannot.
- Moderate light, not bright. Some light is needed for the tint to appear at all, but pushing intensity to chase it mostly grows algae on a plant too slow to shed it. Medium is the sweet spot.
- Never bury the rhizome. Roots may go into substrate; the green horizontal stem must stay in open water or it rots — the single most common way a Java Fern is killed.
- 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.
- Expect a change of leaf. We grow this emersed, so some arriving fronds will die back as it converts to submerged growth. As long as the rhizome stays firm and green, new leaves follow.
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.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised the ferns as "beautiful" and healthy, with one noting "they look great.. just like picture." Plants arrive with good size and quality, though shipping method impacts condition. Standard shipping may cause melting, while faster delivery yields better results. Customers appreciated extra plants and successful propagation in no CO2 setups.
- Ordered 2 got 3 & they look great.. just like picture.. I will order again
- Good size and very healthy
- Red java fern is looking beautiful. Excellent quality ferns.
M
Good size and very healthy
S
I ordered ~130 dollars worth of plants, and being the poor person I am, chose to go with the standard shipping and not have to pay the extra 60 dollars.
Needless to say, the plants arrived in not the best condition. The one Monte Carlo I got was almost entirely brown, with only a few green leaves (I was able to save one small part of the plant in a room temp. glass container though, so hopefully that one makes it), and the salvinia was almost entirely yellow (although at least 95% of them made it through just fine). The dwarf aquarium lily showed up with some pink sprouts coming of the top, but those melted away about a week after putting them in the tank. A few weeks later, though, it's sending out more, so I'm guessing that means it is still alive.
The plants in the worst condition of all, however, were the Ludwigia. I ordered both "Super Red" and "White", but both showed up slimy and wilted. After I put them in the tanks, a couple reds survived just fine and I gave them their first trim and replant yesterday. None of the whites were able to survive, but that's probably my fault for getting the cheap shipping. I put some Lud. whites in each of my three tanks (pretty different conditions, for variety) and all of them just melted.
On a brighter note, all the other plants were just fine. I ordered 3 buces and 3 anubias nana petite, and all of those are doing gorgeously. The pink amazon sword came just fine, and after splitting it up into individual swords, each has been growing well and one of them even sent out pups. The dwarf water lettuce is being a floating plant and reproducing like mad, and the dwarf sagg. also took off. My dwarf hairgrass and crypt. petchii pink both melted a decent amount, but are doing fine and the crypts are even growing.
My favorite plant I got has to be the red java fern (hence the review being on this plant), and it is looking beautiful. I split it into two plants and they both look great for a no co2 setup where the wood floated up twice (got it all glued down for good now). I think I found a total melt of one leaf from both plants, so excellent quality ferns.
In conclusion, I found that you should buy the 2-day shipping, and I need more java ferns. Overall good quality plants, but that doesn't matter if they don't see the light of day for a week and a half. The rest of the tanks look good, and I'm gonna stock them this weekend. Thanks for reading!
j
Java ferns came in quickly although I preferred for an entire intact root because most of the time java fern only produce spores when they are cut stems like these and the stems themselves don't propagate they just die, only the leaves makes new plants wich takes a very very long time, but this isnt plant factory's fault every retail store does this, I still love the leaves that were given to me and hopefully I can see that redish color pop out in the new spores
R
Small and several rhizome, so not too bad.
E
Ordered 2 got 3 & they look great.. just like picture.. I will order again & highly recommend them.
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