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Herbs & Plants

Asplenium bulbiferum

 

Botanical Name : Asplenium bulbiferum
Family: Aspleniaceae
Genus: Asplenium
Species: A. bulbiferum
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Polypodiales

Synonym: Asplenium Mother fern

Common Names :Mother spleenwort,Hen and chicken fern, in the M?ori language, Pikopiko, Mouku or Mauku, Parsley Fern

Habitat:Asplenium bulbiferum is native to Australia, New Zealand. It grows in the riversides in lowland and lower montane forest in New Zealand.

Description:
Asplenium bulbiferum is an evergreen Fern growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a slow rate.The fern is bright green, finely-cut fronds emerge from a single crown. Evergreen foliage has a graceful, arching habit that provides excellent contrast in the shady landscape.The ferns grow small bulbils on top of their fronds. Once grown to about 5 cm (2 in), these offspring fall off and, provided the soil they land in is kept moist, develop a root system and grow into new ferns. This additional means of reproduction can be employed with greater ease than propagation by spores. The related species A. viviparum has a similar mode of reproduction….CLICK & SEE THE  PICTURES
Cultivation:
Requires a moist humus-rich soil in semi-shade. Plants are probably not hardy outdoors in Britain but may be worth trying in very sheltered positions. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233]. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Not North American native, Naturalizing, There are no flowers or blooms.

Propagation:
Spores – best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Germinates in spring. Spring sown spores germinate in 1 – 3 months at 15°c. Pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse. Keep them humid until they are well established. When they are at least 15cm tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer. This plant can also be propagated by means of small bulblets that form on the sides of leaves in the growing season. Pot these bulblets up when they detach easily from the parent plant and grow on in the greenhouse for at least the first winter.

Edible Uses: Root – cooked. Young fronds – cooked. Used before they uncurl, they taste somewhat like a slightly bitter asparagus.

Medicinal Uses: Not yet known.

Other uses:  Landscape Uses:Container, Ground cover, Massing, Specimen, Woodland garden.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asplenium_bulbiferum
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Asplenium+bulbiferum
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55521/

Categories
Herbs & Plants

Osmunda cinnamonea

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Botanical Name : Osmunda cinnamonea
Family: Osmundaceae
Genus: Osmundastrum
Species: O. cinnamomeum
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Pteridophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida /
Order: Osmundales

Common Name : Cinnamon Fern

Habitat : Osmunda cinnamonea is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands.

In North America it occurs from southern Labrador west to Ontario, and south through the eastern United States to eastern Mexico and the West Indies; in South America it occurs west to Peru and south to Paraguay. In Asia it occurs from southeastern Siberia south through Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan to Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

Description:
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum is a deciduous herbaceous plant  (FERN)  which produces separate fertile and sterile fronds. The sterile fronds are spreading, 30–150 cm (0.98–4.92 ft) tall and 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in) broad, pinnate, with pinnae 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) long and 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) broad, deeply lobed (so the fronds are nearly, but not quite, bipinnate). The fertile spore-bearing fronds are erect and shorter, 20–45 cm (7.9–17.7 in) tall; they become cinnamon-colored, which gives the species its name. The fertile leaves appear first; their green color slowly becomes brown as the season progresses and the spores are dropped. The spore-bearing stems persist after the sterile fronds are killed by frost, until the next season. The spores must develop within a few weeks or fail.
CLICK & SEE THE PICTURES : 

The Osmundastrum cinnamomeum fern forms huge clonal colonies in swampy areas. These ferns form massive rootstocks with densely matted, wiry roots. This root mass is an excellent substrate for many epiphytal plants. They are often harvested as osmunda fiber and used horticulturally, especially in propagating and growing orchids. Cinnamon Ferns do not actually produce cinnamon; they are named for the color of the fertile fronds.

Cultivation & propagation :
Osmunda cinnamonea is best grown on sandy or alluvial soils in swamps low woods and thickets in Eastern N. America. Spores quickly lose their viability (within 3 days) and are best sown as soon as they are ripe on the surface of a humus-rich sterilized soil in a lightly shaded place in a greenhouse. Keep the compost moist, preferably by putting a plastic bag over the pot. Plants develop very rapidly, pot on small clumps of plantlets as soon as they are large enough to handle and keep humid until they are well established. Do not plant outside until the ferns are at least 2 years old. Cultivars usually come true to type. Division of the rootstock in the dormant season. This is a very strenuous exercise due to the mass of wiry roots.
Edible Uses:
The young unexpanded fronds are eaten as a nibble or cooked in soups. The taste is saihe latent buds can be eaten in early spring, they rival chestnuts in size and flavour.d to resemble asparagus. The young shoots are seen as a “spring tonic” to cleanse the body with fresh green food after a long winter eating mainly stored foods.  The taste is said to resemble asparagus. The young shoots are seen as a ‘spring tonic’ to cleanse the body with fresh green food after a long winter eating mainly stored foods. The latent buds can be eaten in early spring, they rival chestnuts in size and flavour.
Medicinal Uses:
A decoction of the root has been rubbed into affected joints as a treatment for rheumatism. The root has been chewed, a small portion swallowed and the remainder applied to a snakebite. The following reports do not state which part of the plant is being used, though it is most likely that the root is being referred to. The plant is analgesic, antirheumatic and galactogogue. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of headaches, joint pain, rheumatism, colds etc, and also to promote the flow of milk in a nursing mother.
Known hazards : Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmundastrum_cinnamomeum
http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/herbs/o/osmunda-cinnamomea=cinnamon-fern.php
http://www.herbnet.com/Herb%20Uses_C.htm

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Osmunda+cinnamomea

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