Bird's Nest Fern

Appearance

''Asplenium australasicum'' grows as shrubby plant, with a rosette of yellow-green fronds which are 60 to 80 cm long and 3 to 21 cm wide. It can be distinguished from ''A. nidus'' by its prominent midrib under its fronds, giving the fronds a keeled appearance. The spores form in parallel lines which run in parallel with the veins and oblique to the midrib.

Distribution

''A. australasicum'' grows on rocks or as an epiphyte on trees and is native to eastern New South Wales and Queensland. The clumps can reach a large size, with the centre of the fern acting as a reservoir for debris. The colonial botanist William Woolls wrote "... as a caution to fern gatherers, sometimes a species of black snake coils itself up in the centre" .

Habitat

''A. australasicum'' grows on rocks or as an epiphyte on trees and is native to eastern New South Wales and Queensland. The clumps can reach a large size, with the centre of the fern acting as a reservoir for debris. The colonial botanist William Woolls wrote "... as a caution to fern gatherers, sometimes a species of black snake coils itself up in the centre" .

Uses

Apart from its use as an ornamental plant, bird's nest fern is also a popular vegetable in Taiwan, particularly in the Eastern part of the island where the young emerging fronds are used as a leafy vegetable, from both wild and cultivated plants. The fronds are now also gaining in popularity elsewhere because of the pleasant texture and taste.