Microsorum scolopendria,synonymPhymatosorus scolopendria,[1] commonly calledmonarch fern,musk fern,maile-scented fern,breadfruit fern, orwart fern is a species of fern[2][3] within the familyPolypodiaceae. This fern grows in the wild in the Western Pacific rim from Australia to New Caledonia to Fiji and throughout the South Pacific to French Polynesia.
It was introduced in Hawaii in the late 1910s and has subsequently naturalized rapidly. It is found on all main islands.[4] ItsHawaiian namelauaʻe[5] is thought to have originally referred to the native fernMicrosorum spectrum.[6]
The scientific nameM. scolopendria has been misapplied toMicrosorum grossum (and their synonyms inPhymatosorus).[7]
When crushed, the fern issues a scent similar to maile.[6] Sometimes, pieces of the fern are interlaced in leis made of strung-up keys (individualdrupes) of thepandanus fruit.[5][6] It is also one of the plants used for scentingkapa fabric.[8][9]
