It is listed as Presumed Extinct under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act. However the habitat of this species is protected and has not suffered significant disturbance and other populations of this fern may still exist in unexplored areas of the McPherson Range. The scientifically unexplored nature of these mountains is shown by the recent discovery of two large tree species Eucryphia jinksii in 1995 and Eidothea hardeniana in 2000.