Helminthostachys zeylanica, locally known as tunjuk bumi in Malay is a member of the family Ophioglossaceae and the only species in the genus Helminthostachys. This species is a flowering terrestrial fern with short creeping rhizome that can reach up to 7 mm in diameter, bearing either a solitary frond or several fronds in each year. It is an unbranched plant, laterally and ventrally bearing fleshy roots. It has lanceolate leaves with the entire or irregularly serrate margins and acuminate apex. The rhizome is sometimes exported to China for its medicinal use (Uphof, 1959). Its mature leaves have a spike which can grow up to 20 cm long that arise from the base of the leaves with its own stipe. This herbaceous fern can be found growing on moist ground, along the river banks or on humus-rich slopes in light shade from sea level up to 400 m altitude. It is commonly found in Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Taiwan, New Guinea and Indonesia (Jones, 1987).