Vittaria isoetifolia is native to tropical Africa and islands of the southwestern Indian Ocean.

[7] Vittaria was named by James Edward Smith in 1793 [8] in Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des Sciences (Turin).

[9] The generic name is derived from the Latin, vitta, meaning "a band or ribbon".

In a 1997 revision of the vittarioid ferns, only 34 species were recognized in Vittaria sensu lato.

1824 (Grass fern) V. scabrida Klotzsch ex Fée 1851 (doubtfully distinct from V. graminifolia) Other species include: