batwing fern
Histiopteris incisa (Thunb.) J.Sm.
Batwing fern is an effective coloniser of disturbed ground. In New Zealand it appears in tree-fall clearings, damaged forest, pine plantations and roadside cuttings. Long creeping rhizomes send up widely divided fronds, allowing it to spread through suitable open sites from coastal country into the subalpine zone. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: Histiopteris incisa
Botanical name
Kew accepts Histiopteris incisa (Thunb.) J.Sm. as a fern in Dennstaedtiaceae, matching the catalog. Kew POWO: Histiopteris incisa
Recognizing the plant
The fronds have opposite pairs of divisions and can become very large: New Zealand plants may have blades more than two metres long. Young foliage has a conspicuous bluish bloom, while mature fronds range from yellow-green to blue-green. The veins form a network. Along the margins, nearly continuous bands of spore-bearing structures are sheltered beneath the turned-back edge of the blade, rather than a separate covering membrane. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: Histiopteris incisa
Seasonal development
Cooler parts of New Zealand
The New Zealand account notes that the fern may be summer-green, losing its fronds in cooler conditions. New Zealand Plant Conservation Network: Histiopteris incisa
Native range
Kew records the species throughout tropical and subtropical regions, spanning Africa, Asia, the Americas and many Pacific islands. It is also indigenous to New Zealand and occurs in eastern and southeastern Australia and Tasmania. Kew POWO: Histiopteris incisa
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.