It is named after Sir Robert Laffan who sent a living plant to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in 1880.

The fern was found in the mouths of caves and rock crevices until 1905.

1905 was the last time Diplazium laffanianum was seen in the wild.

In 2014, a re-introduction programme began using the zoo-raised ferns.

As of 2021, there are thirty subjects of Diplazium laffanianum surviving in wild sites.