Drynaria rigidula — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Young fronds

Young fronds are eaten.

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.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in the tropics and subtropics. It grows on trees and rocks. It favours moist forest and rainforest.

Asia, Australia, China, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Polynesia, SE Asia, Solomon Islands, Thailand, USA, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A very large fern. It usually grows attached to other plants. It grows 0.3-1.5 m tall. The rootstock is thick and fleshy. The nest leaves are short, narrow and deeply lobed. The sterile fronds are 10-36 cm long by 5-10 cm wide. They are sword shaped. The fertile fronds are very long and have leaflets along the stalk. The fronds are 0.3-1.5 cm long and erect or arching. The segments are 5-20 cm long and narrowly sword shaped. There are small teeth along the edge. The spore bodies are round and in a single row.

How to Grow

Plants can be grown by spores or by division of the plant.

Propagation: Spores - Division of the rootstock. Larger divisions with shoots establish best, but even smaller sections without shoots are able to produce adventitious shoots.

Medicinal Uses

The rhizome is astringent. It is used locally to treat persistent diarrhoea and virulent gonorrhoea. The rhizomes are said to treat similar diseases to those treated by the rhizomes of Drynaria quercifolia, such as diarrhoea, dysentery and gonorrhoea. The fertile fronds have shown a moderately high antioxidant activity

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Drynaria rigidula is a species of tropical fern in genus Drynaria widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia, from Southwest China to Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. Growing as an epiphyte or lithophyte, its green fronds are up to 1.22 metres (4 ft 0 in) in length. This fern develops two types of fronds, some of which near the base of the plant are shorter, sterile, and rust-colored which form a basket-like shape that trap moisture and organic components that nourish it. Especially in colder weather, this basket acts as prime habitat for animals such as the Amethystine python. The rhizomes of D. rigidula are sometimes used in traditional medicine as a folk remedy, and do have some antioxidant properties though valid medical application has yet to be found through pharmacological studies.

Notes

There are about 20 Drynaria species.

Names & Synonyms

Pakis kalakas, Simbar layangan

Drynaria rigidula var. vidgenii (F.M. Bail.) BallardPolypodium rigidulum Sw.Polypodium rigidulum var. vidgenii F.M. Bail.Polypodium rigidulum var. cristatum F.M. Bail.

References (13)

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