[1] It grows on cliffs, logs and rocks, near waterfalls, in damp forests, and on tree trunks in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

[5] A global phylogeny of Asplenium published in 2020 divided the genus into eleven clades,[6] which were given informal names pending further taxonomic study.

While the subclades of this group are poorly resolved, several of them share a characteristic "bird's-nest fern" morphology with entire leaves and fused veins near the margin.

[8] Other bird's-nest ferns, such as A. nidus sensu lato and A. australasicum, form a separate subclade which is not particularly closely related.

[7] A. antiquum is native to temperate and subtropical East Asia, being found in southern, eastern and northeastern China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, where it grows on rock faces, cliffside outcroppings, and tree branches and trunks.