maidenhair creeper
Lygodium flexuosum (L.) Sw.
Lygodium flexuosum (L.) Sw., commonly known as maidenhair creeper, is a perennial climbing fern in the Lygodiaceae family. Native to tropical and subtropical Asia, northern Australia, and parts of the Caribbean, it features thin, wiry fronds that climb via rhizomes and stolons. The plant has oppositely arranged triangular pinnae, with fertile pinnae margins forming finger-like projections that bear sporangia. It reproduces via spores and thrives in wet tropical environments.
Description
Lygodium flexuosum is a climbing fern with a wide distribution across regions such as Australia, Southern Asia, the Andaman Islands, China, India, and the Dominican Republic. It grows from rhizomes and stolons, forming dense vine-like growth in moist habitats. The fronds are slender and twining, with fertile pinnae that produce spores in specialized sporangia. This species is adapted to tropical and subtropical climates and is a non-flowering plant that reproduces exclusively through spore dispersal.
Other common names
maidenhair creepermaidenhair-creeper
Distribution
Australia · Southern Asia · TW · Andaman Is. · Assam · Bangladesh · Cambodia · China South-Central · China Southeast · Dominican Republic · East Himalaya · Guyana · Hainan · Haiti · India · Laos · Lesser Sunda Is. · Malaya · Maluku · Myanmar · Nansei-shoto · Nepal · New Guinea · Northern Territory · Philippines · Queensland · Sri Lanka · Sulawesi · Thailand · Venezuela
Synonyms
Hydroglossum elegansHydroglossum semipinnatumLygodium maculatumLygodium meyenianumLygodium rottlerianumLygodium semibipinnatumLygodium scandensRamondia flexuosaOphioglossum flexuosumOphioglossum scandensLygodium polymorphumOdontopteris scandensRamondia scandensHydroglossum scandensHydroglossum flexuosumLygodium pinnatifidumLygodium pilosumLygodium serrulatumLygodium elegansUgena polymorphaHydroglossum pinnatifidumLygodium flexuosum var. accidensLygodium flexuosum var. setulosumLygodium tenueLygodium pubescens