Dryopteris sieboldii

(T. Moore) Kuntze

Japanese wood fern

DryopteridaceaeRoots

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(c) MP Zhou, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by MP Zhou

What to Eat

Edible parts: Roots - flour

The root can be dried and ground into a powder. Some caution is advised given the plant's toxicity.

Where to Find It

A hardy fern. In China it grows between 400-900 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 7-10.

Asia, Australia, China, Japan,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

How to Identify

A fern. It grows 50 cm high and spreads 50 cm wide. The fronds are large and have leaflets along the stalk. There are 5-7 leaflets. These are blue-green in colour. The leaflets are oblong or sword shaped. The edges are irregular with fine teeth. The fertile fronds are larger.

How to Grow

Propagation: Spores can be sown at any time of year in a greenhouse. Surface sow on sterilised compost and keep moist, for example by placing the pot in a plastic bag. Germination takes 1–3 months at 20°C. Pot up small clumps when large enough to handle and grow on in a shady part of the greenhouse until ready to plant out. Divide in spring — larger clumps can go directly into permanent positions, while smaller clumps are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until rooting well before planting out in spring.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Other Uses

None known Special Uses

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Dryopteris sieboldii is a species of fern in the family Dryopteridaceae, native to Japan and south-central and southeast China. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental.

Notes

There are about 200 Dryopteris species. Also put in the family Polypodiaceae.

References (9)

Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 1575 (As Nephrodium sieboldii)
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 516
Goudey, C.J., 1988, A Handbook of Ferns for Australia and New Zealand. Lothian. p 102
Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 90
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
PROSEA handbook Volume 9 Plants yielding non-seed carbohydrates. p 189 (As Nephrodium sieboldii)
Revis. gen. pl. 2:813. 1891
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
www.eFloras.org Flora of China