Cyclosorus interruptus(Willd.) H.Itô

Hottentot FernSwamp cyclosorusWilldenow's maiden fernWilldenow’s Fern

WFO wfo-0001110853 Accepted WFO 2026-06 8 photographs CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA

Plate 1 figs. a–h · 8 separate observations

Cyclosorus interruptus, photographed by Paul Asman
fig. a Paul Asman, CC BY 4.0 / 2022-04-01 / obs. 190895214

Every figure is a research-grade observation under CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA, rehosted with the photographer’s name, the licence and the observation it came from. Photographs under a NonCommercial licence are excluded from this site and are never stored, which costs us a great many pictures and is not negotiable.

Native range 124 botanical countries

Regions where Cyclosorus interruptus is native: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Central African Republic, Chad, Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, DR Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Northern Provinces, Réunion, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Japan, Korea, Nansei-shoto, Taiwan, Andaman Is., Assam, Bangladesh, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Cambodia, East Himalaya, India, Jawa, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Maldives, Maluku, Myanmar, Nepal, New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Thailand, Vietnam, New South Wales, New Zealand North, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, Florida, Louisiana, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Caroline Is., Cook Is., Easter Is., Fiji, Hawaii, Marianas, Marshall Is., New Caledonia, Samoa, Society Is., Tonga, Tubuai Is., Vanuatu, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Cayman Is., Chile North, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Galápagos, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Windward Is. AngolaBotswanaBurundiCameroonCape ProvincesCentral African RepublicChadDR CongoEswatiniEthiopiaGabonGambiaGuineaGulf of Guinea Is.Ivory CoastKenyaKwaZulu-NatalLiberiaMadagascarMalawiMozambiqueNamibiaNigerNorthern ProvincesRwandaSenegalSudan-South SudanTanzaniaUgandaZambiaZimbabweChina South-CentralChina SoutheastHainanJapanTaiwanAssamBangladeshBismarck ArchipelagoBorneoCambodiaEast HimalayaIndiaJawaLaosLesser Sunda Is.MalayaMalukuMyanmarNepalNew GuineaPhilippinesSolomon Is.Sri LankaSulawesiSumateraThailandVietnamNew South WalesNew Zealand NorthNorthern TerritoryQueenslandVictoriaWestern AustraliaFloridaLouisianaMexico GulfMexico NortheastMexico SoutheastMexico SouthwestFijiHawaiiNew CaledoniaArgentina NortheastArgentina NorthwestBoliviaBrazil NorthBrazil NortheastBrazil SouthBrazil SoutheastBrazil West-CentralChile NorthColombiaCosta RicaCubaDominican RepublicEcuadorEl SalvadorFrench GuianaGuatemalaGuyanaHaitiHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamáParaguayPeruPuerto RicoSurinameUruguayVenezuela Chagos ArchipelagoComorosMauritiusRéunionKoreaNansei-shotoAndaman Is.MaldivesCaroline Is.Cook Is.MarianasMarshall Is.SamoaSociety Is.TongaTubuai Is.VanuatuCayman Is.GalápagosLeeward Is.Windward Is.
Native distribution of Cyclosorus interruptus, after Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Introduced, extinct and doubtful records are excluded, so this is where the plant is from, not everywhere it now grows. Regions too small to draw at this scale are marked with a dot.
RegionTDWG codeContinent
Angola ANG AFRICA
Botswana BOT
Burundi BUR
Cameroon CMN
Cape Provinces CPP
Central African Republic CAF
Chad CHA
Chagos Archipelago CGS
Comoros COM
DR Congo ZAI
Eswatini SWZ
Ethiopia ETH
Gabon GAB
Gambia GAM
Guinea GUI
Gulf of Guinea Is. GGI
Ivory Coast IVO
Kenya KEN
KwaZulu-Natal NAT
Liberia LBR
Madagascar MDG
Malawi MLW
Mauritius MAU
Mozambique MOZ
Namibia NAM
Niger NGR
Northern Provinces TVL
Réunion REU
Rwanda RWA
Senegal SEN
Sudan-South Sudan SUD
Tanzania TAN
Uganda UGA
Zambia ZAM
Zimbabwe ZIM
Argentina Northeast AGE SOUTHERN AMERICA
Argentina Northwest AGW
Bolivia BOL
Brazil North BZN
Brazil Northeast BZE
Brazil South BZS
Brazil Southeast BZL
Brazil West-Central BZC
Cayman Is. CAY
Chile North CLN
Colombia CLM
Costa Rica COS
Cuba CUB
Dominican Republic DOM
Ecuador ECU
El Salvador ELS
French Guiana FRG
Galápagos GAL
Guatemala GUA
Guyana GUY
Haiti HAI
Honduras HON
Jamaica JAM
Leeward Is. LEE
Nicaragua NIC
Panamá PAN
Paraguay PAR
Peru PER
Puerto Rico PUE
Suriname SUR
Uruguay URU
Venezuela VEN
Windward Is. WIN
Andaman Is. AND ASIA-TROPICAL
Assam ASS
Bangladesh BAN
Bismarck Archipelago BIS
Borneo BOR
Cambodia CBD
East Himalaya EHM
India IND
Jawa JAW
Laos LAO
Lesser Sunda Is. LSI
Malaya MLY
Maldives MDV
Maluku MOL
Myanmar MYA
Nepal NEP
New Guinea NWG
Philippines PHI
Solomon Is. SOL
Sri Lanka SRL
Sulawesi SUL
Sumatera SUM
Thailand THA
Vietnam VIE
Caroline Is. CRL PACIFIC
Cook Is. COO
Easter Is. EAS
Fiji FIJ
Hawaii HAW
Marianas MRN
Marshall Is. MRS
New Caledonia NWC
Samoa SAM
Society Is. SCI
Tonga TON
Tubuai Is. TUB
Vanuatu VAN
China South-Central CHC ASIA-TEMPERATE
China Southeast CHS
Hainan CHH
Japan JAP
Korea KOR
Nansei-shoto NNS
Taiwan TAI
New South Wales NSW AUSTRALASIA
New Zealand North NZN
Northern Territory NTA
Queensland QLD
Victoria VIC
Western Australia WAU
Florida FLA NORTHERN AMERICA
Louisiana LOU
Mexico Gulf MXG
Mexico Northeast MXE
Mexico Southeast MXT
Mexico Southwest MXS

Not drawn on the map: Easter Is.. We hold no public-domain boundary for this region, so it is listed rather than guessed at.

Region boundaries approximated from Natural Earth (public domain) and mapped to TDWG World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) level-3 botanical countries (Brummitt 2001). Indicative, not the official WGSRPD geometry.

Where it actually grows measured, from 1,985 observations

Condition 5th percentile Median 95th percentile
Coldest month, mean daily low 8.2 °C 13.5 °C 22.6 °C
Warmest month, mean daily high 25.3 °C 30.5 °C 32.3 °C
Annual rainfall 986 mm 1,438 mm 3,014 mm
Rainfall in the driest quarter 50 mm 172 mm 459 mm

It is barely found anywhere that freezes. This is not care advice and it is not a forecast. It is a measurement: we sampled the climate at every one of the 1,985 research-grade observations of Cyclosorus interruptus that carry a coordinate, and this is the range those places actually span. The 5th and 95th percentiles are used rather than the minimum and maximum, because a single cultivated specimen in a heated conservatory should not widen a tropical plant's range to the Arctic.

This is not a hardiness zone. A USDA zone is the average annual extreme minimum temperature. The figure above is the mean daily minimum of the coldest month, which is a different quantity and is typically far warmer. Reading one as the other would place a plant several zones too warm, so we do not publish a hardiness zone, because we do not have one.

Also published as 86 synonyms

A synonym is not an error. It is a record of botanists disagreeing, in print, about where this plant belongs. Each of these was somebody’s considered answer.

  • Aspidium aneitense E.Fourn.
  • Aspidium continuum Desv.
  • Aspidium dissectum Mett.
  • Aspidium ecklonii Kunze
  • Aspidium lucens Bojer
  • Aspidium obtusatum Sw.
  • Aspidium paludosum (Liebm.) Mett.
  • Aspidium pinnatifido-serratum Mett.
  • Aspidium plantianum Kuhn
  • Aspidium pohlianum C.Presl
  • Aspidium propinquoides Mett. ex Salomon
  • Aspidium propinquum (R.Br.) Sw.
  • Aspidium resiniferum Kaulf.
  • Aspidium serra Schkuhr
  • Aspidium unitum var. hirsutum Mett.
  • Aspidium unitum var. propinquum F.M.Bailey
  • Aspidium venulosum Blume
  • Cyclosorus goggilodus f. paucipilosus H.Itô
  • Cyclosorus goggilodus var. hirsutus Farw.
  • Cyclosorus gongylodes (Schkuhr) Farw.
  • Cyclosorus gongylodes var. glaber (Mett.) H.Itô
  • Cyclosorus gongylodes var. hirsutus (Mett.) Farw.
  • Cyclosorus interruptus (Willd.) Ching
  • Cyclosorus lenormandii (C.Chr.) Ching

and 62 more.

Sourcesevery claim on this page

  1. World Flora Online Plant List. accepted name, authority, classification. CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  2. iNaturalist. photographs and flowering annotations, CC0 / CC BY / CC BY-SA only. per photograph. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. Wikidata. common name (P1843), joined on the World Flora Online identifier (P7715). CC0. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  4. Kew, World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP v16). native distribution by TDWG level-3 botanical country, and life form. CC BY 3.0. Retrieved 2026-06-04.

We publish what we can source and we say so when we cannot. This page has no care advice and no toxicity claim, because we do not yet have those from a source we can cite.