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Lygodiaceae

Japanese climbing fern

Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) Sw.

Family
Lygodiaceae
Genus
Lygodium

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Japanese climbing fern: カニクサ. www.inaturalist.org/calendar/harumkoh/2015/1/24
Photo: harum.koh from Kobe city, Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (7)
Chinese
海金沙, 狭叶海金沙, 海金沙根, 海金沙草
English
Japanese climbing fern
Japanese
カニクサ
lzh
海金沙
Malayalam
ലൈഗോഡിയം ജപോണികം
Norwegian Bokmål
Japansk klatrebregne
szy
Nipaluma-kiwit

Synonyms

  • Adiantum scandens Lour.
  • Davallia scandens (Lour.) Sw.
  • Hydroglossum dissectum Steud.
  • Hydroglossum japonicum (Thunb.) Willd.
  • Hydroglossum microstachyum Steud.
  • Lygodium chaerophylloides Desv.
  • Lygodium cochinchinense (Poir.) Desv.
  • Lygodium dissectum Desv.
  • Lygodium finlaysonianum Wall.
  • Lygodium hazaricum F.Haq
  • Lygodium japonicum f. elongatum Alderw.
  • Lygodium japonicum var. microstachyum (Desv.) C.Chr.
  • Lygodium mearnsii Copel.
  • Lygodium microphyllum Link
  • Lygodium microstachyum Desv.
  • Lygodium microstachyum var. glabrescens Nakai
  • Lygodium pubescens Kaulf.
  • Lygodium tenue Blume
  • Ophioglossum japonicum Thunb.

Characteristics

Growth habit
Forb/herb, Vine
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Hawaii: introduced, Lower 48 states: introduced, Puerto Rico: introduced

Photos

More in Lygodium

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.